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The world is not a field : An interview with Michèle Lamont

Hylmö, Anders LU orcid and Lamont, Michèle (2019) In Sociologisk Forskning 56(2). p.167-179
Abstract
In this interview, Michèle Lamont discusses her intellectual trajectory in relation to other sociologists and research fields. The starting point is her relationship to Bourdieu’s field theory in 1980s Paris. She describes how her empirically grounded work developed as a critique of Bourdieu’s oeuvre yet draws heavily on it. A common thread in her work is a focus on social and symbolic boundaries and their relation to evaluation and pluralism, which she has extended from her early studies of class boundaries to empirical and theoretical work, ranging from more general cultural processes of inequality and stigmatization, to knowledge production and evaluation in academia. The importance of cumulative work in sociology and the value of a... (More)
In this interview, Michèle Lamont discusses her intellectual trajectory in relation to other sociologists and research fields. The starting point is her relationship to Bourdieu’s field theory in 1980s Paris. She describes how her empirically grounded work developed as a critique of Bourdieu’s oeuvre yet draws heavily on it. A common thread in her work is a focus on social and symbolic boundaries and their relation to evaluation and pluralism, which she has extended from her early studies of class boundaries to empirical and theoretical work, ranging from more general cultural processes of inequality and stigmatization, to knowledge production and evaluation in academia. The importance of cumulative work in sociology and the value of a plurality of criteria of worth across different domains emerge as two central themes in the interview. Finally, Lamont reflects on the current status of the sociology discipline and its role in the public sphere. The interview took place in Lund on 7 March 2018, where Lamont was invited keynote speaker at the Sociologidagarna 2018 conference. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
In this interview, Michèle Lamont discusses her intellectual trajectory in relation to other sociologists and research fields. The starting point is her relationship to Bourdieu’s field theory in 1980s Paris. She describes how her empirically grounded work developed as a critique of Bourdieu’s oeuvre yet draws heavily on it. A common thread in her work is a focus on social and symbolic boundaries and their relation to evaluation and pluralism, which she has extended from her early studies of class boundaries to empirical and theoretical work, ranging from more general cultural processes of inequality and stigmatization, to knowledge production and evaluation in academia. The importance of cumulative work in sociology and the value of a... (More)
In this interview, Michèle Lamont discusses her intellectual trajectory in relation to other sociologists and research fields. The starting point is her relationship to Bourdieu’s field theory in 1980s Paris. She describes how her empirically grounded work developed as a critique of Bourdieu’s oeuvre yet draws heavily on it. A common thread in her work is a focus on social and symbolic boundaries and their relation to evaluation and pluralism, which she has extended from her early studies of class boundaries to empirical and theoretical work, ranging from more general cultural processes of inequality and stigmatization, to knowledge production and evaluation in academia. The importance of cumulative work in sociology and the value of a plurality of criteria of worth across different domains emerge as two central themes in the interview. Finally, Lamont reflects on the current status of the sociology discipline and its role in the public sphere. The interview took place in Lund on 7 March 2018, where Lamont was invited keynote speaker at the Sociologidagarna 2018 conference. (Less)
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author
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organization
alternative title
The world is not a field : An interview with Michèle Lamont
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
symbolic boundaries, STS, Evaluation, Michéle Lamont, Bourdieu, sociology profession
in
Sociologisk Forskning
volume
56
issue
2
pages
13 pages
publisher
Sveriges Sociologförbund
external identifiers
  • scopus:85068864185
ISSN
2002-066X
language
Swedish
LU publication?
yes
id
6da27b89-9141-4f41-b112-a6d8a6e72217
alternative location
https://sociologiskforskning.se/sf/article/view/19754/17843
date added to LUP
2019-09-24 20:16:44
date last changed
2023-06-29 04:15:44
@article{6da27b89-9141-4f41-b112-a6d8a6e72217,
  abstract     = {{In this interview, Michèle Lamont discusses her intellectual trajectory in relation to other sociologists and research fields. The starting point is her relationship to Bourdieu’s field theory in 1980s Paris. She describes how her empirically grounded work developed as a critique of Bourdieu’s oeuvre yet draws heavily on it. A common thread in her work is a focus on social and symbolic boundaries and their relation to evaluation and pluralism, which she has extended from her early studies of class boundaries to empirical and theoretical work, ranging from more general cultural processes of inequality and stigmatization, to knowledge production and evaluation in academia. The importance of cumulative work in sociology and the value of a plurality of criteria of worth across different domains emerge as two central themes in the interview. Finally, Lamont reflects on the current status of the sociology discipline and its role in the public sphere. The interview took place in Lund on 7 March 2018, where Lamont was invited keynote speaker at the Sociologidagarna 2018 conference.}},
  author       = {{Hylmö, Anders and Lamont, Michèle}},
  issn         = {{2002-066X}},
  keywords     = {{symbolic boundaries; STS; Evaluation; Michéle Lamont; Bourdieu; sociology profession}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  month        = {{06}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{167--179}},
  publisher    = {{Sveriges Sociologförbund}},
  series       = {{Sociologisk Forskning}},
  title        = {{The world is not a field : An interview with Michèle Lamont}},
  url          = {{https://sociologiskforskning.se/sf/article/view/19754/17843}},
  volume       = {{56}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}