8 - Hysteresis

Summary

Introduction

Hysteresis, generational change, dislocation of habitus, social crisis and field restructuring are all terms closely related in Bourdieu's discussion of social phenomena and how they change over time. Consequently, an alternative title for this chapter would be “Bourdieu and change”. Bourdieu saw that hysteresis was a necessary consequence of his definitions of habitus and field as mutually generating and generated. These interrelations are the focus of this chapter. The chapter is presented in three main sections: first, definition and historical context of hysteresis; second, Bourdieu's usage of the concept in his published writing; and, third, some practical applications of the concept are considered. A brief discussion of practical and theoretical implications concludes the chapter.

Bourdieu and change

Change is a necessary consequence of Bourdieu's definitions of habitus and field as interrelated and interpenetrating, so that a change in one necessitates a change in the other. As such, change is often taken for granted in his own writing because it does not require a distinct theorization. Since change is presupposed in this way, it is often not made explicit in his social analyses. It is perhaps understandable, then, if his work has been criticized for being deterministic, in particular with respect to social class. However, Bourdieu strongly and explicitly refutes this claim.