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Cited by 37Foucault, Power, and EthicsSocial and Cultural DynamicsContemporary Sociological Theory and Practice

Bourdieu, Foucault and the politics of precarity

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Masquelier, Charles·2019·Distinktion: Journal of Social Theory
DOI 10.1080/1600910x.2018.1549999
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Abstract

Precarity is widely regarded as a defining condition of advanced capitalist societies. Given its existentially troubling character and a range of movements condemning its social consequences, several contemporary analysts have sought to diagnose the prospects for liberating society from its rule. Many of those accounts have been inspired by the post-structuralism of Michel Foucault. It is nevertheless argued here that Pierre Bourdieu offers more suitable conceptual tools for diagnosing precarity-induced domination and making sense of resistance in the contemporary age of precarity. With a focus on Foucault’s neoliberal ‘art of government’ and Bourdieu’s concept of ‘symbolic power’, this article exposes the differences between each theorist’s account of precarity. While doing so will help grasp the complex and singular character of the operations of power today, it will also serve to highlight the merits of Bourdieu’s work for capturing the limits of, and cracks within, precarity-induced domination. Realizing the full potential of his own approach for conceptualizing resistance, however, rests on supplementing it with insights drawn from intersectionality theory.

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  • Neoliberal logics underpin the institutionalization of precarity in data work through discursive tactics, employment misclassification, internalized competition, and limited state intervention.

    “Neoliberal logics underpin the institutionalization of precarity [84] in data work through discursive tactics, employment mis-classification [39], internalized competition, and limited state intervention.”

    From 'The plan is just survival': Data Work in Kenya and the Regime of Entrapment (2026) · cites this paper as [84]

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Research works printed but not linked: 16

  1. Bauman, Z. (1999) In Search of Politics. Cambridge: Polity
  2. Beck, U. (2000) The Brave New World of Work. Cambridge: Polity Press
  3. Bourdieu, P. (2014) On the State. Cambridge: Polity
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  5. Collins, P.H. (2000) Black Feminist Thought: Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment. New York: Routledge
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  8. Foucault, M. (1998) The History of Sexuality: The Will to Knowledge. London, Penguin
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  16. Miller, P. and Rose, N. (2008) Governing the Present. Cambridge Polity

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Authors
Masquelier, C.
Affiliations
University of Exeter (GB)
Corresponding author
Masquelier, Charles
ORCID
Masquelier, Charles
Venue
Distinktion: Journal of Social Theory
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2018-12-07
Volume
20
Issue
2
Pages
135-155
ISSN
  • 1600-910X (ISSN-L)
  • 2159-9149
DOI
10.1080/1600910x.2018.1549999
OpenAlex
W2903650809
Cited by
37
References
51
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 1
FWCI
5.69
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Distinktion Journal of Social Theory (publishedVersion)
  • Open Research Exeter (University of Exeter) (submittedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Foucault, Power, and Ethics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Cultural Dynamics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice
Keywords
precarity, Pierre Bourdieu, Michel Foucault, symbolic power, neoliberal governmentality, domination, resistance, intersectionality, poststructuralism, advanced capitalism, power

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