"Héritiers et outsiders : sur la noblesse d’État norvégienne"
In this article our professors Johs. Hjellbrekke and Olav Korsnes discuss how Pierre Bourdieu’s (1930-2002) theory of fields can be applied in comparative studies of the field of power.
Main content
Norway as a case
Using Norway as our empirical case, they discuss typical methodological challenges one encounters when uncovering the structures of social space and the field of power. Thereafter, the article focus on the fundamental, but often neglected difference between empirical and theoretical generalisations.
Bourdieu’s work is relevant
By applying Geometric Data Analysis to the Norway Leadership survey of 2000-2001, the authors address two main issues: the thesis of the existence of a Norwegian political dynasty, whose members easily circulate between top positions and sectors in the Norwegian society, and the structural opposition between the “inheritors” and the “outsiders”. The results not only demonstrate the validity of Bourdieu’s work outside of the French society, but also that his methodological approach may produce new insights about processes of societal change in societies other than France.
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