One of the theorists I enjoyed reading was Pierre Bourdieu – a French sociologist whose world view was strongly influenced by growing up in occupied France during World War II, then as a young adult being drafted to achieve a second-place finish in the Algerian Revolution (1954 to 1962, when Algeria won independence from France.) He described the Law of Conservation of Violence:
While we often look at Bourdieu for his thoughts on social capital – and he did come up with some unique approaches – his work always seemed to be working toward an understanding of the dynamics of power in society, particularly the ways in which power is transferred and passed on over generations. He regarded sociology as a martial art – properly used only for self-defense, and never morally used to attack others.
He developed the concept of Symbolic Violence – which operates through manipulation of symbols, ideas and beliefs rather than force. Things that we internalize, and then automatically accept and internalize the hierarchies, structures and inequalities that exist. In his view, Symbolic Violence was a subtle violence that reduced the need for actual application of force.
His writings might help people better understand the culture in which we live – though when I read Bourdieu, I usually felt that I had a rather vague understanding of topics that he had explained well, and in details that I somehow missed.
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