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Introduction: Putting Wacquant to Work

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Class, Ethnicity and State in the Polarized Metropolis

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Abstract

In this introduction we set out the Bourdieusian origins, key principles and theoretical syntheses characteristic of Wacquant’s distinct sociology, while also discussing some key criticisms. In doing so we suggest that Wacquant’s work contributes to a crucial bridge from a classical sociological perspective to the more contemporary approach of theoretical pluralism. We detail some of the core aspects and concepts of Wacquant’s theoretical framework in understanding relations of class, state and ethnicity within the contemporary, polarized cities of advanced capitalist societies. We also outline some specific criticisms of Wacquant’s work to date which resonate with the theme of this book.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The international conference “Rethinking Urban Inequality, with Loïc Wacquant” drew scholars from a half-dozen countries and disciplines. For details of the events held, their scope and purpose, see https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/usp/news/loicwacquant-1.570911.

  2. 2.

    A selection of commentaries on, and responses to, that event were subsequently published (see Atkinson et al. 2016).

  3. 3.

    See the Appendix for key works and criticisms of Wacquant. For an introductory overview of Wacquant’s sociological approach, see Wacquant (2009b, 2013a, b, 2014). For an understanding of his unified sociological approach, see Delica and Hansen (2016). For compact accounts of his contributions to penal studies, see Daems (2008: chapter 5), and to urban studies, see Slater (2017).

  4. 4.

    We cannot engage in detail here with the work of Pierre Bourdieu, and our focus is on that of Wacquant (see Bourdieu and Wacquant 1992; Joly 2017b; Loyal 2017). See also the essay that Wacquant’s students refer to as “Bourdieu for Children” (Wacquant 2008a, b) and his reflections on two decades of teaching his famed “Bourdieu boot camp” (Wacquant and Akçaoğlu 2017).

  5. 5.

    We cannot possibly cover the full range of critical engagements with Wacquant’s work, and in this chapter we stick to the general criticisms alongside those central to the chapters that follow. However, see the Bibliography for edited collections, special journal issues and selected articles engaging Wacquant’s work.

  6. 6.

    We do not engage here with debates about philosophy and the “dead-end” nature of transcendental theorizing. Other scholars perform that important task far better than we can (see Joly 2017a, b; Kilminster 1998, 2007).

  7. 7.

    For example, see the uses of Wacquant to understand the divisions of the Indian city (Galonnier 2015; Gupta 2015; Jaffrelot and Gayer 2012; Susewind 2017).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urban Studies and Planning, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK

    John Flint & Ryan Powell

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  1. Department of Urban Studies and Planning, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK

    John Flint

  2. Department of Urban Studies and Planning, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK

    Ryan Powell

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Flint, J., Powell, R. (2019). Introduction: Putting Wacquant to Work. In: Flint, J., Powell, R. (eds) Class, Ethnicity and State in the Polarized Metropolis. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16222-1_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16222-1_1

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