Feminism After Bourdieu it oy Lisa Adkins and Hesrley Shes Blackwell Publishing/The Sociological Review 10 Te Edn Hoa fe Sui Revo 00 60 Garson Ran, Oxia OR 200, UK 350 Main Sit Maen, MAO2K6015, USA Aligis eared No ut fh penon my be erode reins sil Sn sy rm ya at copying esting erate Srp speedo the UK Congr ‘*SeapanPacs A wot pb pein of eps Ever it on made fo ce apg oles The aor apelogieor nyc mations nd wold be po be at of ay corso at Fc pbb 200 by Bache Paling La traf Cones atl Putin Dat apd a ISN sis “he pubes poy io we permanent apr om al oem Fr ute ifrmaion oa Bickel Publish, vito mite: Inula bchtgaishing emAgency and experience: gender as a lived relation Lois McNay Introduction The divin between material and eatral analysis has besome somewhat atenced in feminist thought, geerating a seis of theoreve pass ‘Te cetal point of contertion i that cultural Feminists fel that matralsts rely on sinplistic division such a base and superstaturs, ety and repre Sentation inorder teaser the primacy of economic Fores i their anabss of ‘omea’ oppression, Comers atta eminsts are erieal ofthe ets (ofthe “input” turnin emis theory which inthe view resus in m= rowing dove of the ste of oppresion tothe rarefied one of entity poites Te this chaper Large forthe importance of am undersianding of gee 33 Ted soil elation in mediating this pass. The idea of gender a8 ved {cial relation opposed to an understanding of gender as structural cae thon which prevails in both raters and cultural thought. In the free ‘rider ison a strata lastion within ov intersecting wi opti las Feations ina way that resembles ea Feri debares over the Felonship ‘eencen class and patria (Sargent, 198) athe ater generis earded ‘marty ats location within symbole of dscursve aroctures. By defining [der asa posiion within an absract structure albeit ery diferent con- ved, both materi and cll eminst alt ecogaie thal such abstract forces only reveal thems inthe led reay of socal relations In other ‘ord ts though developing mediating concepts in thiscase agen, thatthe Aeermining fore of economic and cateral mations upon day ie can be ‘made vibe and int way the ue of ey can be connected to that of ‘Obvious, agency understood in hs Sense invokes some nation of experi- eee which traiionaly has been very roblatic fr feminist theory. By Jeoking atthe exchange betueen hath ule and Pierre Douriea on peor ‘mative agency | argue at an en of experience i sential 0 an account of gency but hati must be understod in elation term eather han ina to lepeal sense as the absolute grounds of Social beng. I deielop ths idea by Araning on Borde work on the phenomenology of seal paceDeterminism and agency “teens ec mati adel eins een peo in nan ile debts emi hoy Res ner emi aa he nde atapi obra ot oft poems bycaboaong mode's ‘tin the ntonnectons of tut od eal pone ions ah Atamscingtosnrtte upon fone oe eee Nan Fran’ 402) work on reson and esension sre the met nt inves, se age it poe ry has cael Sons Mutat arabs that ews opps starting or uneya conoeeg trio ander aay ec area a papal res Prec of ecpion snd aistogntion The oben wih alt! moe Sie one an tal tough ey poise ene hs he Prabal elt of rac an uum, they cel ht cet dann quetios of ently repton fom eect tec o ccna rors and oer pes sal al Ore oer ice poli of eeinion canbe onomealy rade er pots thar pata nso cong now thu Hy dopeation do wo ara ‘lciy no economic nse trv eras alow so oh ‘ns mater nly comand yee aor soon os 9 ek they secre conmigo ee expresso ay rai (er 2000 11-12), Th sgt such denon apn, Frat pope wha she lar dl of fort whch sn bine sonar wi cal sate She ag ha he Wes of esc tote an eon So at met he to dc seal domi of ‘onumyand core esate ul whe ety over ratens ha, oy se nancy este. Tas ama $i an underunding of pyetion as perpen ough ie oc, tims af tuna srt eon o dele nom rors! ak hpi cumple he compe uo et Sppetion which stated on th nsf bok msn an en san thar ike st Tha rapa to Frases nor, Maron Young ims ttf fom braking doa he pps bet sony td Gare cpt a redone nt eve wo info By sn at ie polis of reognton nds sopping wis reson pape Fras brs te eet to whch gsi ety shins hae ee been snp Sater! ac ut esas ied mara as of Iedirtaton, or ample erected san Soe ‘eat tenses sam cl po the poli of econ Yong Pots ott however that even fe cus of homage esi Sc thn pete ets a tri an one ei fen 18 mh a tcp: ‘Winer te ous of hecosei is hae Motes bee sen the wag ie he tee ati expose 176 © ear tet Any andere keaton atc mits to the edo, constant riko suse, valence and det, 2 emusty Heid anes to sos and opprinie (une, 197157). ‘fang asthe fre ei tat Frsers aac aan resins tied apd taza coro If scl He ined pemead by ‘Bittanous per elon tent woul! make ses to py pleat ‘anon of opreon ae than te sinplng dam ofeed by set Biel, Young ges that Freier’ ccerament of 3 emai: store “Sitin sn, pet oppreson ad pos purl he ral of ber polar Shui ater than fg a atl contraton: se ds cotadton Shove noe xt (OH7IS). Yoone Sopp an aerate (pace whee {Foren is anaed along te fie sacs of exo, aypation. Serene cll fperinnand ies: pups of ebrang ‘rat bt ited cxsgorcon of oppression io aecarmodte the ari {dos in oprenive sutra positon india an ros 8d so fest the enn to fe oppreson oan or wo traces wih Piney” {isortst) Fartermore ths ed distinction evn acormodate pole {od legal spt osc sop whch nb. oud by rss ‘ical amie “Te dts Feween Fasr and Young asta the een 10 which the tft coral ppotoningrilnennist houpt whee ee ex ‘Tempio me eyond the opposition ae ce for etenching fre. Hay argument hart poston Between meal an clue amass ‘ppc tobe imate the hte eter Youn ad ras ua Rac ee of macostacrl ans Boh hia tha sr balan atria ower eatnsarinerinine yet ined ach os, Botner coe mdr eaters trough whch ts posible map thes ints, To pat in te ers bh hort fal one that Stra fovas bly cve horn he Wed all of sal el tor En Mein od sakes pec} th pont when he is EP “Tempo aion xpercnssast Auer defn of ca eet sineur! ton snes peop fe never acta “sented n hiss he termining esr ited by 2 mode of Produ nthe fr ‘tn of des cane cay expend witht fees o someting omnoe erence 1 Ined epee ofthe cos and Sug inheret in elton feat (Wood. 195896) ‘Noo’ erent eens by snl oer sue oppresion, Sine indviduasae ere stand ova sing as of ener rac a ec PP “onthe heey vy nich beopratos othe foes an Be and ‘Soom ele of sca aon flows ht he dea of ages ey mel Sing eter thurs whch te nerconecon tue cata and 6 tome Wen formation nd sol sacs an be amined. The tial del afer ll buen pr bow tet of Stat operate upe soo ction an how kay be posible 0 cme thse cores vet wee posbl tpt the gestion of wheter the szonmy ela th omsos tering thes stance. thi woah The Eb oe gl Rin 208 melite about why inaviduals actin some circumstances rather than other, ad wy iis some individuals cathe than hes who act nthe same circum ances In other words, agency canot be deduced rom absract soil sas tures If as Charles Taylor (1985) pots ot the dea of agency vf a some Seve tothe individual’ capacity for sleeection and aelfevahaion then i ‘ols tobe examined fom some Kind of hermeneutic perspective Hermenew. tie aalsienacesarlyiawoles the temporary abandonment of pute bjetivam, Jnorderto examine the nate of toil experience This sertion ha the analy fir of experiences ental to an understanding of agency of cours, where the problems star for feminist anata Te status that etegory of expenence should occupy in feminist thors has ben idly debited and, a consequence ‘ofthe debate over essentials, the ae pory i often rejected because of pr ‘cine excessive subjetvism, Yet, the problem reruns thal, ven when ae native, ‘ntiesenii’ theories of ugecy have been developed by, fo exam pos Fovesuldian thinkers sch as Juth Ber, they remain conceptual et ‘lated. Arguly they arent theories of agency atl bet theo of srt indeterminacy (MN 2000) Thus athe absence o any mediating catego, the impasse betwen material and cultural feminisms about determination remains In ord. therefore, o make the arrument tht itis neesary to ee petate some wotion idea of experience for a generate’ account of age) | ‘will consider in a more deal Hh problems that the idea preset or feast Thowght “The problems ofrexperience™ Although, the uncovering and tedsovery of women's experience i ental to the feminist project. he eatepory of expeincs has been notonously probs Tematic on ssveral counts. The concept of experience is ben 4 cra eee for cricizing the apparent objectivity of the narual and social Sciences. yet the Way in whichis deployed by certain feminist thinkers often rfc tather than undoes dehotonbes of obetiy-subjectity. Against the ob tivnm of sient knowledge. feminist standpoint thor, for example ase 2 countering primacy ofthe subpetve realm whith privileges experience 5 the grounds of genuine knowledge In his respect, experince soften a8 ‘lated with emotion andafet and impute an autenty tha cunterpsad to abst male eeson, (Scot, 19:31), Experience, in thi senses generally taken as given, sel-explantory concept that each feminist spe in het ‘own way. Thus itis used tore alert 1 Telings, emotions, the pesos personaly’ (Lazreg, 19945), The granting of an eistemlogcl prlge {o experiene in thn way i contentious strategy Recep eminem dangerously close to-an unexamined empricsm which doesnot scruiie the conditions that determine how experience relates 10 knowledge: "To lain that womels experience isa source of true knowlege aswell a he Substance ofthe world to be hoown consis the soe epistemic alley 18 (meia daldaiictachalatetchiaie tat cane: mk oe ton 25 the one encountered by casiclempiiciss' (se Lanes 190452). fal ‘tel-reheused problem withthe wea of experience tha ten dud to tablish an arguably tendentious unity becween women The absence of dei Son allows itt rete a sense of cosenss by atrbuing to it an assuned Sable and shared meaning (Scot, 1992:2). Theo unifying connotations have ‘been sjected to exes eri by feminists influenced by postr fm, such af Gage Spivak and Judith Buller (Bur, 19022 25, Spivak, 198) In her wel-known are on experience Joan Seot (192) points out that some ofthe problems it the concep stem from he metaphor Of slit and avs hat often governs te exploration of arpa experiences in hi ‘oral anaiyns Whe the projet of making experience visible may bring 10 ph the inact of sence and eptssionupoathelives of marginalized groups ‘often prevents a more tal examination ofthe wa in hich apis of | ‘epreentation are historically constituted. The metaphor of ist exposes ‘he mechanics of represion along a vertal analysis ofthe expt and the [sens the dominant andthe marge but doesnot have «horzontal ataly- SS: of the way in which these categones of representation are eationaly onstrcted: Making vibe the experience of dilletent group exposes the fxistence of repressive mechanisms, But not thet iner workings oF Ips: we now that diflerene exis, bt we dont understand i as constituted relation- tly. For that ne need Yo allen fo the hatoral process that, through di fours, postion subjects and prodece ther expences" Scott, 19238). To ‘erthom the metaphor of wsbiity to consider experience tel as dscur Shey consrected rather than to impute oi an incontestable authocy. This proces of historian wolves eating the emergence of anceps and en "ies nota unprablemte pens but as istorel apd discursive events nthe tanner os, Fouauls (1978) anabss of the constuction ofa nikon of ‘everson in aineteenth century discoursn of mene and payehiaty. TO ‘male the consrton of expetience in was ao it Sel viet 10 ‘seat toa orm linge determin oto deny historical agency. Ae Scot puts "Expenence ica sujet hisiory Langage ithe site of history na- feat. Historical explanation cannot, therefore, separate the to" (SC. 1992.38), I dos, however. involve considering how the ea of experience is nko, ae epimatng principle othe constuction of truth and knowledge ett in any piven ex. Despite Scot's cla that the analysis of experience asa disarive com strction does at imply its abslatedisoltien the way in which this insight as heen generalise a much possructural work on subjectivity, has sued sn form of hngusti determi which often abandons the eatepory alto~ tether, Dede of the ea of experience and rtendant nations of sel nod. ‘Mention and refx postural work om subjectivity often fins ish ‘ihout a workable concep of agency with which animate notions ofr tance, subversion (ee MEN, 200), Agency refers to an individual’ capac Ay for action and cannot be simply sndertood as & property of unstableiscursve structures Therefore, in order o understand some of the changes ‘within sexual practices and gener ras that have ocurred over the last forty ‘yeas oF so, at idea of apeney has tobe vethought around some kind of non feductive notin of experience. In order to explain wha his might look Me. ‘will now consider the exchange etvecn Judi Butler and Pete Bourdicy on the des of perrmatve agency. Each thinker ase the ater of having on inadequate account of agency. In asiesing tis Ucbat argue that Berea ‘of performative agency i nota viable theory of agency all bt meet asus tural absiraction, My main sim, however, so show, that while thee etn ae problems with Bourdieu’ idea of ages, his idea of « phenomenlogy of Soci space his interesting implication or a relational asaya of experience This i turn, can be used to develop an understanding of gender ata ved soci telation in contrast to Bullerian accounts where generis understood Primary as ecalion wii discursive stuctres Butler and Beurdicu onthe performative Theexchange bewecn Bue and Bourdieu i foesed around what constiues the efficacy of performative spesch act, The esnot of Burs objection to Bourdieu’ thought tat his concepts of habits andthe Fld ate dtermiit in o fara they dey the possibility of rail change and, nthe final aly sis eaert a reductive hase-spersructue model Is Eeitabe Sporh, Butler famines the problem of determinism which, in het view. ineret to Br ‘eu’ uerstanaing of te symbotievlene of performative speech act Ske argues that the conepe of symbol vile is problema tht es he Speech at too closely to is istitutional contest and misses the process of ‘emporal dferal and dissemination tha are constitutive of the indeterminacy Of the performative Is this indoterminacy that i esenial to understanding how is that dominant norms may be apeoprised snd subverted by marial {groups A simular lek of indeterminacy hampers Bourdieu aio of habits hich by stressing the extent o which thee ian accommodation between don inant poner rations and body dspossons. mises the ways in which the proces of corpoeil incukation is never svaigh-forwad or complet, This Decase despite his cams tht there exsts elon of dogs Eondtsoning ‘between habits and elit fac the Bl thats atributed a presen objectivity and ensiined. therefor. as an “unleable powtviy” (te 1699-117) Whereas habitus may adap tothe objective demands ofthe fd {here is no sense of eountervaliag alteration ofthe Bld by habitus. The uni siretona causality ated to the eld undermines any idea ofthe insab is and resistances intent othe proces where social ors se drawn eo ‘the bey, This is compounded by Bourdiw’sdepaymet of rater function ast notion of adaption in-whih habits aus othe exigencies of the eld and which senses dus betwen the abjcine andthe subjective wher the former remains determining i the lat instance. By prodving an account of per thai straurally commited tothe tates qv, Boudin fretses the pow o agen emer rom the mags. For Bale, the dona ofthe scl and the lngus, te material and he symbol cannot be epaated in such a diet way beau The dcusiv ot Station of the subj is metab fom the socal conetation of the subj (Bute, 199120). The repeated elects of racial slurs for example hve fad hie inthe Bes of the adresse. The performative iterpeiation of the subject in terms of rae or sender spt ependest ona sper ‘autora sb bt th ees of geeralzed proces of subeticaton. The difse tare of the proses of iterpeaton render heels of the performative patil indeterminate aod ope to subverson. The performative uteance an nt eile the pouty of going ay, of Being appropriated by mar Boal groups and ting resigned with destabilizing effets Tt his reappo- Prtion of the authored postion within language which serves to expose Prevaling forme of authority. Bouricy canot explain the troubling elt of Sich indeterminacy Beste ofthe caus! piety acerded othe Social oer ‘hein andthe Buty ofthe subjet oer the aterane nthe final any Sth udereus cms about the geeratve ature ofthe abies. ‘Bovedi’ oly exp esponse to Bue is contained in afew remarks ‘made in Psalan Msitarins 200), bu his eeral iw on her work can be Gece rom his comments lings universal, Bourew wes the tem to denote a tendency within objects theory to anne ad therfore deny the social actors perspective The conemic an seca conditions that under the ‘cholie word ew arealuralze and unversalied as impartial objet. Tn Burs wor, Hguisic univesalism operates by reducing the cher of lei inqualis ad eenome exclron constittv of ender bears {othe narow uso the symbol coastection of sexual dent For example slr lim thal hee are vores sec unihabiabity or paces of "be ‘ion simply too wndferentted 0 bane much explanatory foe ee. Butler 1995.) Arua, the aly To parte na promt poitspresup- oss a retivelyprvilep asso xan economic resources and elt {atl that otis inthe arkt wa ofthe tem abeton. Bourdieu com ‘Td tht is mae xc dngeous to suppose and suggest a one oly bh to ‘constr hee soil aries a purely performative cebation ‘tno inorder to dest them (Boule, 200108) The impels ‘ofthe univer hi plied nthe cweenenson of Hnguste mode of ‘entity formation nthe Bal analy a form pa excellence fsbo vo- lence perptusted by ‘enkighene hes apon he racial uci of social The responses ofeach thinker the ote’ work apeae. onthe fae of it to erode the there pit beiween matt and uta nahi Ye. 10 Some dee, this dlerene s overated beause of the polarising eles of prleme Ehewbee in thi work, bo hithers recognize the iy of tng To ast the primacy of 4 ceain type of power retion over another and ‘ich devdops an embodied sscoust of asecy whch xpi acknowledgesthe entwinement of macrial and eymbolic power relations te er are ‘Mamvism and the Merely Cultural (1998), Bur nightly eiezes the ear fg2nct ofan orthodox Lets which dsmises quer polis a an epiphenom, fal fxation on Meniy and oretall an analyse of & more fundamen polics of rlistbation. Against this, Bue argues that not only te di fiction between the material and symbolic unable but ako that rediatby: tive haves fea the heart of «polite of cultural recognition, Silay hc entry that Bourdiew accords the de of symbole violence is theo of Social reproduction, renders his work anything But materially redicogi, ‘While he views marl forces such asthe division of labour ad sepegaton within the work fore are contralto peader opps, he wear the intra [ation af symbole yende norms within phys ad pscholopeal postions sthe most mportant semen! inthe eprodetion af sexual dso, For Boye dieu, the inexneable entwinenent of ater and discursive elaons (rae ture of position and space of possible) evident mal soil realms and he sis the concept ofthe field t0 unpack these arable rations ave MeN, “The diferences betwee the two thinkers es, therfore tin the mien. ing antithesis of matenal versus symboi eterminim BOL the Way i wich they develop concept of avency to thik through the connections between di cursive and material power Tetons Ese’ the probe with ih Butler’ account of performative agency i. as The argued ebehore. that rot an account of agency er se Bulan account ofthe some of the dscurie preconditions that mast preval fr certain types Of ingle inovaton to te possible (MeNay, 0004-5). The possibilty of Hinguistc agency is nkxd Wo the reiterate structure of language self but this necessary ad not suficent account of ageney. Butler posts agency as a property of language conceived samara struct rather tha 36 4 stated Wpe OF action OF interaction. Phisconcepion of agency a an abstract linguistic poeta prob lematie because it docs not adequately aes central features of agency such 2s intention and reflexivity. Not because of the abatct ature of Butler ea of discourse does it addres adequately enough how age is determined by ‘access to symbolic and material esouces Ulinasy, Ue conflation of ide ‘of agency wih the dea of instability within meaning systems rests in a ys belie determin which docs no have the coneepualrurse to ifleretae liscursive rom eter types of power ration the cental problem with Butlers acount of agency derives fram hee: dency to subsume the soil within the Knguisti the, to Some degee. ic he ‘paste problem that hampers Bounds thought Arguably, he sical underestimates the 2utonony of agents becuse of the tendency to reas sym holic relations to pr-gnen social relations This s evident in the conventions Jam of his work on the performative tht language drives its symbolic fore from the surrounding context which underplys the exer to which the 2408- fom of language means that it canbe uod as ool a styet daniant poner ‘eltons I serail rs that Bourdieu acount, in Mascue Donat 182 salsa sabe cise: nae Aes ee ee aed on of the way in which mascline ad feinine iets ar symbol con sired lacks any notion of the complexities and instabiliies within gender ‘emit tht thers ie Baer hve dan attention. Furthermore, aes ‘Bohm (999) has pointed out, thi conventional cas fad to an exer edly inrumental den of agency which locks slterativeaccoun's of the interpretative and ogutiveeapaces payed by social ators Reflex i 2 gual tha Bounie sems to abate only f0 the soloists redeton ‘pon ber own acivityat the expense of undestncing it ava generalize pac ityof socal actors Dring om Habermar Bohman argue tht any as05nt of ‘grey mut no only consider ways in which actos ae caught within strstr f power and domain, autorztion and marginalization but mst ao include a ssount of their eapacty or practical reflechon as to ive cov ‘incing fearon to ick op chs made in spach when challenged by other ‘speaker? (Bokiman, 1989140). By aling to attbute such a capa to ctor the posabity of innovation and teisformtion becomes improbable and