BOURDIEU’S REFLEXIVE SOCIOLOGY AS A HERMENEUTIC KEY FOR ANALYSING THE CONTEMPORARY RELIGIOUS FIELD
This article analyzes the contribution of reflexive sociology, as developed by Pierre Bourdieu and Loïc Wacquant, to the understanding of the contemporary religious field. Based on an analytical and interpretive literature review, the article discusses the relevance of the concepts of field, habitus, symbolic capital, and reflexivity to the analysis of religion as a social phenomenon, with special attention to Bourdieu’s seminal text on the genesis and structure of the religious field. Next, the paper examines the Brazilian debate on the limitations and potential of this approach, particularly the criticisms that point to its difficulty in capturing the contemporary dynamics of the publicization of religion. A dialogue is then established with the contributions of Charles Taylor and Axel Honneth, seeking to broaden the understanding of the religious subject beyond power dynamics by incorporating the dimensions of meaning and recognition. It is argued that the articulation of these perspectives offers a particularly fruitful hermeneutic key for the Science of Religion, allowing religion to be understood simultaneously as a space for symbolic disputes, the construction of meanings, and the search for social recognition—a key ultimately applied to the analysis of pluralism, institutional competition, and religious mobility that characterize the contemporary Brazilian religious landscape. It is concluded that reflexivity constitutes not only a methodological resource but also an ethical requirement for the production of scientific knowledge about religion.
particularmente fecunda para a Ciência da Religião, permitindo compreender a
religião simultaneamente como espaço de disputas simbólicas, construção de
significados e busca por reconhecimento social — chave aplicada, por fim, à
análise do pluralismo, da competição institucional e da mobilidade religiosa que
caracterizam o campo religioso brasileiro contemporâneo. Conclui-se que a
reflexividade constitui não apenas um recurso metodológico, mas também uma
exigência ética para a produção do conhecimento científico sobre a religião.
BOURDIEU’S REFLEXIVE SOCIOLOGY AS A HERMENEUTIC KEY FOR ANALYSING THE CONTEMPORARY RELIGIOUS FIELD
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.515721126010615
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Palavras-chave: Pierre Bourdieu; Reflexive sociology; Religious field; Charles Taylor; Axel Honneth.
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Keywords: Pierre Bourdieu; Reflexive sociology; Religious field; Charles Taylor; Axel Honneth.
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Abstract:
This article analyzes the contribution of reflexive sociology, as developed by Pierre Bourdieu and Loïc Wacquant, to the understanding of the contemporary religious field. Based on an analytical and interpretive literature review, the article discusses the relevance of the concepts of field, habitus, symbolic capital, and reflexivity to the analysis of religion as a social phenomenon, with special attention to Bourdieu’s seminal text on the genesis and structure of the religious field. Next, the paper examines the Brazilian debate on the limitations and potential of this approach, particularly the criticisms that point to its difficulty in capturing the contemporary dynamics of the publicization of religion. A dialogue is then established with the contributions of Charles Taylor and Axel Honneth, seeking to broaden the understanding of the religious subject beyond power dynamics by incorporating the dimensions of meaning and recognition. It is argued that the articulation of these perspectives offers a particularly fruitful hermeneutic key for the Science of Religion, allowing religion to be understood simultaneously as a space for symbolic disputes, the construction of meanings, and the search for social recognition—a key ultimately applied to the analysis of pluralism, institutional competition, and religious mobility that characterize the contemporary Brazilian religious landscape. It is concluded that reflexivity constitutes not only a methodological resource but also an ethical requirement for the production of scientific knowledge about religion.
- Javan Ferreira
