The French sociological tradition versus Political Economy

Abstract

This paper argues that there is a tradition - starting from Comte, moving through Durkheim and the Durkheimians and including the contemporary Bourdieu- which is of a intellectual nature. The text begins with a presentation of the three main forms of sociological critique of Political Economy that have unfolded since the end of the 19th century. It then goes on to show that the position developed by these three leading French sociologists cannot be explained solely on the basis of common background or of their (distant) relationship from Political Economy. Rather, it emphasizes the intellectual affinities running from Comte to Bourdieu and their common interest in delegitimizing Political Economy as a science, given the role attributed to social representations, whether the latter arise from economic activity itself or from social construction through educational institutions. Keywords: Economic Sociology, critique of Political Economy, social representations.