Pierre Bourdieu Et Les Structures Sociales De L'économie

Abstract

This article  delivers a sociological and critical analysis of Pierre Bourdieu's seminal work, The Social Structures of the Economy. The author demonstrates how Bourdieu deconstructs the neoclassical myth of homo economicus and general equilibrium theory, replacing them with an economic sociology rooted in the social structures of the market. Using the single-family housing market in France as an empirical case study, Bourdieu shows that economic supply, demand, and pricing do not stem from abstract individual rationality, but are produced by habitus, forms of capital (economic, cultural, and symbolic), and power dynamics within the "economic field."

The study highlights the fundamental role played by the State in constructing economic markets. Far from being a neutral external regulator, the State actively shapes consumer preferences through housing policies, credit access, and tax incentives, while directly conditioning the structure of market supply. The paper emphasizes Bourdieu's contribution to reintroducing politics, history, and institutional power into the analysis of contemporary economic behavior.