Homo academicus and the analysis of intellectual fields

Abstract

In Homo academics, Bourdieu proposed an epistemological reflection that is of interest to both further researches on the object itself as well as the practice of sociology in general. Secondly, he proposed a map of the university world in France, the various forms of capital that organise it and the most customary types of career paths. Despite the national basis of his analysis, Bourdieu insisted that it could be extended beyond France. Thirdly, he offered an explanation of a historical event that spilled over from the university campus, yet one in which the university played a major role; the uprising of May ‘68 showed how a historic event that partially destabilised the social order occurred. Epistemological, structural and historical orders - these are the angles from which Homo academicus shall be read. This paper addresses Homo academicus’ scientific insights into the academic and intellectual world.