An introduction to the sociology of Pierre Bourdieu

The purpose of this article is to introduce the thoughts of Pierre Bourdieu, admittedly one of the greatest sociologists of the 20th century. His works, produced within the last three decades, go beyond conventional sociological research, making a fruitful theoretical contribution to sociology. His sociology is based on a basic idea: social reality lies neither on individuals nor on groups, but on the relations between the two. These invisible relations create the world of social objects, which can prove effective because of the social factors that have internalized these relations. In this article, the writer discusses the basic thoughts and key concepts of Bourdieu.