In the prefaces, Bourdieu shows concern about his decision, out of compulsion to adopt the interview genre in writing the book.
Indeed, he agrees that the book originated from his interactions with the students he taught, alongside the other people he interacted with in the teaching career. Bourdieu invites the reader to interact with the book in a critical perspective, where they can openly question his thoughts, add to them or even object to them though meaningfully.
In his preface, Wacquant the book allows readers to be stimulated to ponder over Bourdieu’s sociology rather than just getting the Bourdieu’s observation point by point. He reiterates that the interview method adopted in the book allows the author to express an issue in a manner that it can be interpreted in various angles. Wacquant lauds the organization of the book arguing that it presents a platform for those who would have wished to express counter-positions to do so in a positive criticism approach. Wacquant sees that the method adopted in the book suits the field of sociology since it allows the reader to dialog with the author as the author’s point slowly comes into view. On the other part of the preface, Wacquant gives an explanation of the parts of the book (Bourdieu&Wacquant, 1992).
The first chapter, which is under discussion in this class is divided into seven subtopics, and the content of each is as summarized below:
Beyond the Antimony of social physics and social phenomenology
One this part, Wacquant starts by discussing the task of sociology as viewed by Pierre Bourdieu. He sees that Bourdieu saw the task of sociology as In regard to the agents that make up the social world, the social science must recognize them as the components that build up the social world (Bourdieu &Wacquant, 1992, P. 10). Therefore, a social life must be constructed in order to qualify to be regarded as sociology. The main point of this part is that there should be a comprehension of the structure of sociology before carrying out an analysis.
In the medical field, it is pivotal for the care provider to understand the social structure and the elements of the social life of the client. Such understanding is vital in addressing the needs of the client holistically.
Classification Struggles of the Dialectic and Mental Structures.
This second portion of the chapter is concerned with the relationship between the social and mental structures. Bourdieu observed and supported the idea that both mental and social schemata are linked and related since they are homologous. He explained this by giving an example that a person is usually affected psychologically by the environment in which they are brought up. Bourdieu observed that such is also linked to politics in that the mental and social functioning can determine the political inclination of an individual.
In the medical field, a care provider who understands the link between the social environment and mental functioning is likely to provide better care than a provider who ignores this relationship. Thus, care providers must consider the social background/situation of the client, and determine how such is affecting their mental processes.
Methodological Rationalism