The State as God: On Bourdieu's Political Theology
Bourdieu’s anthropology of the state can be interpreted as a form of political theology, premised on a panentheistic conception of the state, which is transcendental to social reality while simultaneously being lodged in all social matter. The state is a Leviathan that imposes a horizon of meaning b...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Extreme Anthropology Research Network
2019-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Extreme Anthropology |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.uio.no/JEA/article/view/6601 |
| _version_ | 1828410438352633856 |
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| author | Victor L. Shammas |
| author_facet | Victor L. Shammas |
| author_sort | Victor L. Shammas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Bourdieu’s anthropology of the state can be interpreted as a form of political theology, premised on a panentheistic conception of the state, which is transcendental to social reality while simultaneously being lodged in all social matter. The state is a Leviathan that imposes a horizon of meaning beyond which social agents rarely, if ever, move. The anthropologist must transcend the doxic structures of the state by engaging in a labor of anamnesis, enacting a bringing-to-consciousness of the invisible and occluded operations of the state in its deployment of symbolic power, which serves to naturalize a series of dominant (yet arbitrary) categories, concepts, and representations. Bourdieu’s ontological vision can be summarized in the concise formula, ‘state = society = God.’ A guiding methodical imperative for sociologists of the state-as-divinity is extracted from Bourdieu’s lectures on the state: the Deus Absconditus Principle, which mandates detecting and uncovering the veiled divinity of the state in all aspects of social reality. It is the task of the anthropologist to channel, interpret, and challenge the panentheistic state. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T12:11:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-de95c5ce528b4b7a8f903110eb48f9ae |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2535-3241 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T12:11:11Z |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | Extreme Anthropology Research Network |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Extreme Anthropology |
| spelling | doaj.art-de95c5ce528b4b7a8f903110eb48f9ae2022-12-22T01:49:22ZengExtreme Anthropology Research NetworkJournal of Extreme Anthropology2535-32412019-01-012210.5617/jea.6601The State as God: On Bourdieu's Political TheologyVictor L. Shammas0Work Research Institute (AFI), Oslo Metropolitan UniversityBourdieu’s anthropology of the state can be interpreted as a form of political theology, premised on a panentheistic conception of the state, which is transcendental to social reality while simultaneously being lodged in all social matter. The state is a Leviathan that imposes a horizon of meaning beyond which social agents rarely, if ever, move. The anthropologist must transcend the doxic structures of the state by engaging in a labor of anamnesis, enacting a bringing-to-consciousness of the invisible and occluded operations of the state in its deployment of symbolic power, which serves to naturalize a series of dominant (yet arbitrary) categories, concepts, and representations. Bourdieu’s ontological vision can be summarized in the concise formula, ‘state = society = God.’ A guiding methodical imperative for sociologists of the state-as-divinity is extracted from Bourdieu’s lectures on the state: the Deus Absconditus Principle, which mandates detecting and uncovering the veiled divinity of the state in all aspects of social reality. It is the task of the anthropologist to channel, interpret, and challenge the panentheistic state.https://journals.uio.no/JEA/article/view/6601Bourdieustate theorysymbolic powersocial categoriesanamnesis |
| spellingShingle | Victor L. Shammas The State as God: On Bourdieu's Political Theology Journal of Extreme Anthropology Bourdieu state theory symbolic power social categories anamnesis |
| title | The State as God: On Bourdieu's Political Theology |
| title_full | The State as God: On Bourdieu's Political Theology |
| title_fullStr | The State as God: On Bourdieu's Political Theology |
| title_full_unstemmed | The State as God: On Bourdieu's Political Theology |
| title_short | The State as God: On Bourdieu's Political Theology |
| title_sort | state as god on bourdieu s political theology |
| topic | Bourdieu state theory symbolic power social categories anamnesis |
| url | https://journals.uio.no/JEA/article/view/6601 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT victorlshammas thestateasgodonbourdieuspoliticaltheology AT victorlshammas stateasgodonbourdieuspoliticaltheology |