Review: Miklós Hadas, ‘Outlines of a Theory of Plural Habitus’
Review of Miklós Hadas’ Outlines of a Theory of Plural Habitus (Routledge, 2022), 122 pages.
Abstract
This book explores the thinking of Pierre Bourdieu, who proposed the modification and extension of the concept of habitus. Starting from building Bourdieu's idea of translation of reproduction of social structures, namely the idea that when social classes move in the same direction, the dominant group can maintain their position of power to maintain the structure of inequality. In this case, Miklós Hadas proposes that when the social structure changes, the habitus will also change automatically and thus become a plural habitus. The significant difference between the concept of habitus by Bourdieu and Hadas lies in the idea. Bourdieu's notion of translational reproduction of social structures is the idea that when social classes move in the same direction, the more dominant group can maintain their relatively strong position. This then resulted in a structural gap between the dominant and minority classes. So, in this book, Hadas argues that when the social structure changes, the habitus also undergoes changes and thus becomes a plural habitus.
Reviewed by Wahyuning Afifah, Mamnunah and Muhammad Maftukhan
This book explores the thinking of Pierre Bourdieu, who proposed the modification and extension of the concept of habitus. Starting from building Bourdieu's idea of translation of reproduction of social structures, namely the idea that when social classes move in the same direction, the dominant group can maintain their position of power to maintain the structure of inequality. In this case, Miklós Hadas proposes that when the social structure changes, the habitus will also change automatically and thus become a plural habitus. Habitus is a concept of thought that is inherent in an agent. Habitus consists of some dispositions, action schemes or perceptions that an agent has acquired through life experiences in society (Bourdieu, 1990). Meanwhile, Plural Habitus is defined as a reflection of the habits of an agent in the past which will still be described and applied even though the agent does not continue the habit (Hadas, 2022). The significant difference between the concept of habitus by Bourdieu and Hadas lies in the idea. Bourdieu's notion of translational reproduction of social structures is the idea that when social classes move in the same direction, the more dominant group can maintain their relatively strong position. This then resulted in a structural gap between the dominant and minority classes. So, in this book, Hadas argues that when the social structure changes, the habitus also undergoes changes and thus becomes a plural habitus.
This book is presented in three chapters, namely the first chapter on the concept of the habitus of the Bourdieusian workings. According to Bourdieu, the idea of habitus is a manifestation of a practical understanding of the metaphor of the meaning of a game. The pattern of understanding the game produces an objectively homogenized action (Bourdieu, 1990). This refers to a group of members of several agents who have something in common in various aspects, including their habitus. Habitus can be a unifying tool in the thoughts and behavior of each agent. Still, it does not rule out the possibility that the nature of habitus can change or remain the same between generations. The social mobility of each agent can change their habitus; that is, they can adapt to the new environment and conditions where they live.
In the second chapter, Hadas tries to explain several examples in understanding and capturing the meaning of Plural Habitus by looking at the social mobility carried out by agents. From observations made by Hadas, it was found that migrants (agents) will reactivate their habitus according to the situation at hand. One such example is a fascinating study that examines the relationship between ethnic and class identities among the Mizrahim, a stigmatized ethnic group in Israel, during upward mobility. It emphasizes the presence of strong negative emotions (disgust, hate) and self-negation. These elements are interpreted as unique expressions of a cleft habitus, a particular amalgam of dispositions associated, on the one hand, with mobility and changing class identities and, on the other, with the maintenance of distance from ethnic identity. The mobility carried out by the agent makes it easier for him to get a new habitus accumulation while maintaining a distance from the habitus he already has. This is done in order to avoid negative stigma from the group to which the agent belongs.
In the third chapter, the author analyzes the concept of habitus expansion, drawing on the example of Elias’s (2000) control of violence in medieval European societies. The emergence of multiple habitus indicates that people are subject to repetitive situational constraints that become structural constraints throughout the life cycle. Bourdieu writes that essentially chronological differences separate competing groups. Static differences between the dispositions of different social classes can be put into the context of dynamic social structures that develop over time. Disposition can be an indicator of intra and intergenerational mobility processes. Therefore, these upward-moving individuals may incorporate new dispositional patterns at different life cycle periods. Thus, it is possible that even in stable nuclear families, there are structuring factors, such as differences in class position, education level, occupation, or parents' mother tongue, which contribute to the emergence of plural habitus. In this case, children tend to combine plural dispositions, conditioned by their parents' various social attachments.
The state, family, church, army, school, market, and even the social life of an agent can all apply strategies to instill habitus. So far, the goal has been to incorporate cognitive knowledge, encouragement, and a tendency to adapt to a new social environment. Hadas distinguishes three types of habitus cultivation: coercion, reinforcement, and persuasion. The state and the church carry out the strategy of coercion. The state, relying on public law and coercive bodies such as the military or police, holds a monopoly on the lawful use of physical force against the inhabitants of its territory.
Overall, this book is a comprehensive study to explore research related to society. This is based on the idea that social praxis is not only based on rational strategies but also on actions that arise from the unconscious (feelings, urges, or tendencies). Plural Habitus in this book also mediates not only between social structure and action but also between various forms of action. The capacity of agents activates their dispositions in different praxis domains, whether this is done intentionally or not. The Plural Habitus concept offers a more complex and nuanced picture of social reality. Plural Habitus is multi-determinant, both synchronously and diachronically. It should also be emphasized that Plural Habitus is a universal cultural fact that is not only a characteristic of contemporary Western culture but can also be applied in various historical periods and communities (individuals) in various countries. This book also gives examples of the plural form of habitus that are well-suited for studying social change with an appeal to scholars of historical sociology, process sociology, and social theory.
Funding
The publication of this review is funded by the Education Fund Management Institute (LPDP) for master's students with scholarship programs.
Acknowledgements
The authors express their deepest gratitude to the Education Fund Management Institute (LPDP) for sponsoring our master's degree studies and supporting the publication of this book review.
References
Elias N. (2000). The Civilizing Process: Sociogenetic and psychogenetic investigations. London: Blackwell.
Bourdieu, P. (1990). The Logic of Practice. Stanford University Press.
Hadas, Miklós. (2022) Outlines of a Theory of Plural Habitus. Bourdieu Revisited. Routledge, 605 Third Avenue, New York.
Mamnunah is Master of Arabic Education, Postgraduate Program of Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia and author research: Exploring Nahwu Science Through Pop Up Books: Design of Nahwu Science Learning Based on Pop Up Books.
Email: mamnunah96@gmail.com
Wahyuning Afifah is Master of Humanities, Postgraduate Program of Airlangga University, Surabaya, Indonesia. She is a research scholar and her recent study is Nadia's Resistance to the Power of ISIS in The Last Girl by Nadia Murad.
Email: nuning.abi@gmail.com
Muhammad Maftukhan is Master of Humanities, Postgraduate Program of Airlangga University, Surabaya, Indonesia. He is an English teacher at Islamic boarding school and his recent research is Children Literature and The Internalization of Madura Cultural Values in Megaremeng and Other Stories by Imron W. Harits.
Email: maftukhan611@gmail.com
