Bourdieu und die New Sociology of Science: Anmerkungen zu einer schwierigen Beziehung

Before the so-called “practice turn” ocurred in contemporary theory, Pierre Bourdieu’s theory
of practice had already been well received in the social sciences. Bourdieu’s writings on and
critiques of the sociology of science, however, have not been similarly adopted – at least
not outside the French context. This article discusses Bourdieu’s writings and his critiques
of what he calls the New Sociology of Science. In addition, it outlines the development
of the practice turn in the sociology of science and discusses the responses to Bourdieu’s
reproaches. From a science studies perspective, the article analyzes why Bourdieu’s approach has not been more widely discussed by scholars in science and technology studies.
Finally, the article advocates an integrative approach that links the sociology of science to
Bourdieu’s conceptual framework.