Understanding Bourdieu

Jen Webb is Professor of Creative Communication at the University of Canberra. With Tony Schirato, she edits the Understanding Contemporary Culture book series. Tony Schirato teaches and researches in the areas of cultural theory, media literacy, and sport and the media. He has co-authored books on the work of Michel Foucault and Pierre Bourdieu, and also on communication and cultural literacy, globalisation, Asian cultural politics and visual culture. His most recent book is on sports culture. He is currently co-authoring a book on the work of gender theorist Judith Butler. Dr Geoff Danaher taught in the STEPS bridging program at CQUniversity. He has researched in areas such as cultural studies, education for travellers, comedy and gender and sport.

Contexts and Approaches Cultural Field and the Habitus Theorizing Practice Bourdieu's Sociology Government and Bureaucracy Bourdieu and Secondary Schools Bourdieu and Higher Education The Field of Cultural Production Art and Artists Journalism and Television

Bourdieu's work is formidable-the journey is tough. Follow this French foreign legion - take an apple, take a hanky - but take this book. -- Peter Beilharz Pierre Bourdieu's work is now coming to be seen as one of the twentieth century's most important contributions to our thinking about the world. Understanding Bourdieu is a comprehensive and lucid introduction to his work. Measured and judicious, it's the best road map of this significant body of work currently available. -- John Frow A good range of recent examples from popular culture are used to flesh out the material in accessible terms. These examples are deployed very well indeed - rather than being tacked-on illustrations of an idea, they are instead used at the heart of the explanation of the ideas. -- David Gauntlett