Bourdieu and the Social History of Scientific Reason

The themes of the historical roots, the social function, and the validity of the sciences (both human and social sciences and natural sciences) represent one of the nerve centers of Bourdieusian reflections. In the thought of this author, the theme of science has been both an object of socio-historical investigation and a cardinal problem of epistemological reflection – a way to justify the validity of sociological research in itself (the problem of reflexivity). The main objective of this chapter is to show the originality of Bourdieu’s approach to the analysis of science by showing its link and theoretical positioning with respect to the main contemporary historiographical debates (such as historical epistemology and science and technology studies).