Abstract
Simon Susen's paper "Bourdieusian reflections on language: Unavoidable conditions of the real speech situation" gives us a provocative account of the shortcomings of a Bourdieusian approach to language. For Susen, Bourdieu's own assumptions have led to a series of blind spots which lead to an over-emphasis on power, domination and their reproduction as well as to an under-emphasis on the liberating, creative and transgressive potentialities of language. I argue that Susen overlooks the locatedness of language within the bodily hexis of social actors and that, furthermore, his optimistic argument relies on eclipsing these classed bodies. Hence, I question his claim that language can escape its social determinants and transform social relations.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 275-279 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Social Epistemology |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue number | 3-4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 21 Nov 2013 |
Keywords
- Bodily Hexis
- Bourdieu
- Class
- Domination
- Identity
- Language
- Reproduction
- Susen