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- Title
Aristotel ian Habitus and the Power of the Embodied Self : Reflections on the Insights Gained from the Fakirs in Bangladesh.
- Authors
Mozumder, Mohammad Golam Nabi
- Abstract
This article traces back classical Greek and Medieval meanings of habitus to show that Bourdieu's redefinition of habitus discarded a seminal feature of Aristotelian habitus--the power of radically transforming the self at will. I elaborate how the practices of purposefully training the embodied self remains marginalized in Pierre Bourdieu's re-conceptualization of habitus. Examining Aristotle's habitus, this paper brings back the focus on the long-neglected insight of the power of deliberately (re)training the self in constructing a heterodox but ethical way of being and socializing. As an example, I refer to the Fakirs in current Bangladesh, who cultivate antinomian life-practices. The main argument of the paper is that habitus in Bourdieu's formulations is less suitable than Aristotle's in analysing the praxis of the Fakirs. I suggest that instead of sticking to a universal conceptualization of habitus, sociologists should consider with equal importance both models of habitus articulated by Aristotle and Bourdieu. Doing that could benefit contemporary sociology in two ways: First, Aristotle's conceptualization of habitus is an important tool in identifying the sociological importance of the praxis of marginalized groups, e.g., Fakirs in Bangladesh; and second, extending the focus of a key sociological concept, i.e., habitus, addresses the apparent disconnect between the wisdom of heterodox practitioners in the Global South and dominant social theories built upon the analyses of European and American social traditions.
- Subjects
BANGLADESH; BOURDIEU, Pierre, 1930-2002; INTROSPECTION; DEVELOPING countries; INSIGHT
- Publication
Bangladesh e-Journal of Sociology, 2020, Vol 17, Issue 2, p23
- ISSN
1819-8465
- Publication type
Article