Search Results (96)

The Buades Gallery (1973–2003) was not merely a commercial space in Madrid. In the history of art in Spain, it served as a professional and political node for Spanish conceptualism, an art form which, due to its idiosyncrasies, required its own channels of distribution. This article seeks to examine the trajectory of Mercedes Buades in alignment with this movement, re-evaluating her role from a feminist perspective and highlighting the importance of certain agents who have traditionally been invisibilised. To this end, a theoretical approach is adopted, following the sociology of art and the social history of art, paying particular attention to the contributions of Enrico Castelnuovo, Pierre Bourdieu and Núria Peist. These frameworks enable an analysis of the role of the gallerist as a structuring agent within the artistic field, capable of generating symbolic capital and establishing dynamics of production, circulation and consumption in the context of post-Franco Spain, a country that lacked a consolidated museum infrastructure at the time. Even so, Mercedes Buades established a model of gallery practice that, beyond its commercial dimension, contributed decisively to the symbolic configuration of contemporary art in Spain and formed part of a network of artistic visibility that promoted experimental art. Full article

Tourist satisfaction models typically assume that service performance dimensions carry the same weight for all travelers. Drawing on Bourdieu, we reconceptualize age, gender, and region of origin as demographic capital, durable resources that mediate how visitors decode service cues. Using a SERVPERF-based survey of 407 international travelers departing Quito (Ecuador), we test measurement invariance across six sociodemographic strata with multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. The four-factor SERVPERF core (Access, Lodging, Extra-hotel Services, Attractions) holds, yet partial metric invariance emerges: specific loadings flex with demographic capital. Gen-Z travelers penalize transport reliability and safety; female visitors reward cleanliness and empathy; and Latin American guests are the most critical of basic organization. These patterns expose a boundary condition for universalistic satisfaction models and elevate demographic capital from a descriptive tag to a structuring construct. Managerially, we translate the findings into segment-sensitive levers, visible security for youth and regional markets, gender-responsive facility upgrades, and dual eco-luxury versus digital-detox bundles for long-haul segments. By demonstrating when and how SERVPERF fractures across sociodemographic lines, this study intervenes in three theoretical conversations: (1) capital-based readings of consumption, (2) the search for boundary conditions in service-quality measurement, and (3) the shift from segmentation to capital-sensitive interpretation in emerging markets. The results position Ecuador as a critical case and provide a template for destinations facing similar performance–perception mismatches in the Global South. Full article

The sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) literature increasingly promotes certifications as effective tools for diffusing sustainability practices across global production networks. However, this instrumental view underestimates the complex, contested, and often politicized nature of learning in supply chains. Drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of practice and Deetz’s classification of research discourses, this paper contrasts the dominant normative view of certifications with a critical sociological approach. We argue that certifications are not merely technical tools but are embedded in power-laden fields that structure which forms of knowledge are valued, transmitted, and resisted. Through a review of the existing literature and theoretical synthesis, this conceptual paper shows how dominant discourses obscure conflicts, exclude peripheral actors, and perpetuate symbolic domination. This paper calls for greater engagement with critical theory to enrich the understanding of sustainability learning and highlights the need to pluralize perspectives in SSCM research. Full article

This research proposes an update of the use of the concept of “habitus”. In continuity with Wacquant, I suggest using habitus not only as an object of investigation, but also as a methodological tool, reintroducing it for qualitative studies of digital sociology. Additionally, it can be used as an analytical tool to guide the selection of cases of analysis in empirical research. The aim of this study is to provide researchers with a methodological tool in their toolbox that can apply categorizations that can guide the entire research process to interpret social differences and, consequently, the positions that subjects occupy in the social field through critical reconstruction. This study intends to use the concept of habitus, taking the following scheme into account: [(habitus)·(capital) + Field] = practice. However, the scheme is updated through the use of new indicators that are suitable for describing and categorizing subjects and their hybrid interaction in digital platforms, as well as in autochthonous contexts. For this reason, this study has provided an integration of new forms of capital with the classic ones identified by Bourdieu. In this study, habitus will be defined as “popular habitus”, i.e., a rigorous effort that is useful for finding the tools capable of determining which subjects are symbolically categorized in a “popular” representation of the self and in their practical predispositions, as well as which are not. Furthermore, through empirical examples, the capacity of the tool to understand the interaction between digital platforms and social subjects is highlighted, as well as the way in which this interaction contributes to shaping identities and social choices. Full article

Understanding students’ opportunities in mathematics education requires tools that capture the social and cultural dimensions shaping their engagement with the subject. One way to conceptualise these opportunities is through the notion of mathematics capital, which encompasses the resources and dispositions that students bring to their mathematical experiences. This study introduces and validates a questionnaire designed to measure secondary students’ mathematics capital, adapting the well-established science capital framework to the mathematical domain. Grounded in Bourdieu’s concept of capital, the questionnaire operationalises mathematics capital across mathematical forms of cultural capital, mathematics-related behaviours and practices, and mathematics-related forms of social capital. The questionnaire was administered to 119 students in an Italian secondary school as part of a broader study on mathematical memes. Statistical analyses, including correlation tests and Cronbach’s alpha, confirm the instrument’s reliability and internal coherence, highlighting the influence of both school and extracurricular environments. The questionnaire provides educators with a practical tool to better understand students’ engagement with mathematics and to inform strategies for fostering equity in mathematics education. By making mathematics capital a measurable construct, this research contributes to discussions on how cultural and social factors shape students’ trajectories in mathematics and beyond. Full article

This systematic literature review assesses two decades of the literature on paternity and parental leave for fathers. We developed a conceptual framework that broadens the understanding of why fathers (do not) use paternity and/or parental leave, and the outcomes of men’s leave uptake for fathers, families, and society. Drawing on Bourdieu’s social reproduction theory, we use social, economic, and cultural capital as sensitizing concepts in our analysis. Regarding contextual circumstances, paternity and parental leave most often appear to be used by fathers with higher levels of economic, cultural, and social capital, and with a stronger father identity. With regard to consequences of taking leave, the literature suggests that fathers are not only affected at the micro level (e.g., in their paternal involvement) but also at the meso level (relationship with partner and children) with (potential) consequences at the societal level. We welcome family researchers to further develop and test our conceptual framework when studying the contexts and consequences of paternity leave and parental leave for fathers. Full article

Background/Objective: In nursing practice, differences have been noted between the shared habitus acquired during academic training and professional practices within healthcare systems. In this context, nurses tend to experience an impact on their autonomy due to the ways in which their professional habitus has been established, which, in some way, alters the cultural capital acquired during their academic training. The objective of this study was to identify factors that facilitate and/or limit autonomy in nursing practice based on professional habitus. Method: This research was conducted using a hermeneutic qualitative study framed within a critical approach that incorporated Bourdieu’s theory of fields (habitus, field, and capital). This study included 11 registered nurses working in hospital settings, 17 nursing students, and six university professors. Data collection included 34 sociodemographic forms, 34 individual semi-structured interviews, and five focus group discussions conducted with an interview guide. The collected data were analyzed using an interpretative hermeneutic approach, integrating grounded theory and Bourdieu’s theory of fields, focusing on the concepts of habitus, field, and capital. Results: This study identified a central theme—clarification of the nurse’s role (professional habitus)—alongside three subthemes: (1) strengthening the nursing identity (identity habitus), (2) optimizing nursing education (optimization habitus), and (3) reinforcing professional credibility (validation habitus). Autonomy was found to be influenced by hierarchical structures, power relations, and institutional constraints within the healthcare social field, which led to limitations in the accumulation of nurses’ symbolic capital. Conclusions: The professional habitus of nurses is shaped by various elements within the healthcare social field. This field is constrained by hierarchical structures and factors such as subordination to the hegemonic biomedical discourse and the medical profession, limited recognition of humanized care, institutional restrictions on acknowledging the nursing process, and a lack of solidarity and leadership. These constraints ultimately hinder the accumulation of symbolic and social capital in nursing, leading to a loss of autonomy and hindering professional development. Full article

This article draws upon doctoral case study data from two Protestant Christian churches to examine how contemporary worship music-making practices can reinforce and solidify the musical tastes, dispositions, and tendencies of particular demographics. Drawing upon sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of the habitus, this article examines the religious musical habitus of musicians in relation to contemporary music repertoire. For some churches, contemporary worship music-making practices may “disrupt” the habitus of a particular subset of a demographic due to their musical preferences and positioning, while contemporary repertoire may affirm the habitus of other, often “young” worshippers due to their musical preferences. Further, the research analyzes each church’s positioning within the overarching musical and theological fields in place. Case study data affirm the notion that Contemporary Worship Music is generationally based in the way it engages with the habitus, which provides implications for worship leaders and those making musical decisions within Christian church contexts. Full article

This paper will delineate Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s (EBB) allusions to Hebrew in her writing, both personal and public, and her ambivalent attitude towards the Hebrew language and how it is related to her views on poetry and religious identity. Although most critics have focused on EBB’s knowledge of Greek, her use of Hebrew, whether translated, transliterated, or presented in the original Hebrew characters, reveals her concept of poetic language and her core religious beliefs. In her collections of poems published in 1838 and 1844, EBB reiterates her concept of Hebrew as a sacred language, a language endowed with what Bourdieu would term symbolical capital, and superior to other languages. However, her correspondence reveals an ambivalence towards Hebrew: it is a “primitive” language that she does not wish to be associated with on the one hand and revered in relation to Spiritualism and the medium George Bush on the other. Finally, the appearances of Hebrew in her works constitute what Derrida terms a poetic Shibboleth, meant to define who is to be accepted into the realm of sacred poetry and who is to be left out. Ironically, it is the anxiety around this double-edged Shibboleth that ultimately brings about the disappearance of Hebrew letters from EBB’s poems written after 1844. Full article

Film festivals often struggle to engage younger audiences, posing challenges for cultural participation and well-being. This study examines an innovative communication strategy introduced by the Ibero-American Film Festival of Huelva (FCIH), which incorporates young communicators (JCC) to enhance traditional outreach efforts. By employing a qualitative case study approach, including eight semi-structured interviews and an analysis of social media activity, this research investigated how this initiative influences the transmission and acquisition of cultural capital across generations. The findings reveal a substantial growth in social media engagement (12,155%) and increased attendance among younger audiences, highlighting the successful transfer of embodied cultural capital. Grounded in Bourdieu’s theoretical framework, the JCC initiative emerges as a tool for redistributing cultural capital. This strategy not only strengthens the festival’s outreach efforts but also has the potential to transform the cultural landscape of film festivals. The study concludes that involving young voices in the communication of cultural events can effectively democratize cultural capital and bridge generational divides, extending Bourdieu’s insights into the dynamics of contemporary digital culture. Full article

This study investigated the sociological dimensions informing public perceptions of water scarcity during the El Niño drought period in Colombia. We conducted this study in Santa Marta, Colombia, and surveyed 405 urban and rural residents to understand their perceptions of water scarcity, management, and the impacts of the El Niño phenomenon. The survey used a Likert scale to measure responses and employed a multivariate analysis of variance to analyze the data while considering factors such as location (urban versus rural) and gender. The study results indicated that urban residents often experience an irregular water supply all year, whereas most rural respondents noted a more consistent availability of water. The perception of water scarcity also differed notably between urban and rural areas due to their different historical and cultural experiences (habitus). Urban respondents mostly recognized the presence of water, while rural perspectives were less conclusive, likely influenced by their direct access to natural water sources. Participants across various demographics consistently reported that poor management by local, regional, and national governments contributes to the water scarcity crisis, highlighting the importance of improving communication about climate events like El Niño and water management to increase community engagement in public policies. Our research suggests that better understanding the social foundations of such perceptions using Bourdieu’s concepts of social fields, habitus, and capital forms can significantly enhance water management strategies. Full article

This paper proposes the use of Pierre Bourdieu’s sociological concepts of social fields, capital, and habitus to analyze water management in Colombia. By mapping the social dynamics of water management, this study examines the interactions and power relationships among agents, including government agencies, private companies, academic institutions, non-profits, and local communities. The analysis reveals how various forms of capital, such as economic, cultural, social, and symbolic, influence water management practices, policies, and the distribution of power. Integrating agent-based modeling with hydrological simulations provides a more nuanced understanding of how social dynamics influence water management. This interdisciplinary approach helps develop more adaptive and equitable strategies by capturing the complex interactions between human behavior and environmental factors. This study highlights the need to localize the analysis of the social field to capture regional customs and specific social dynamics. This localized approach ensures that water management strategies are more relevant, context sensitive, and sustainable. This paper advocates for the wider adoption of agent-based modeling in water management, proposing a methodology that combines the engineering principles of practical problem solving and adaptive design with an understanding of the social complexities in water management. Full article

Social commerce blurs the boundary between online social interaction and online shopping. The emergence of video streams introduces novel marketing modalities to social commerce. However, there is a paucity of comprehensive studies investigating the impact of emerging marketing techniques such as short videos and live streaming on consumer purchase intention. This study employs Bourdieu’s conceptual framework to construct a Field Theory-based model, investigating the impact of atmospheric and capital characteristics of social commerce platforms on consumer purchase intention through affective and rational pathways, respectively. A survey involving 515 Chinese social commerce consumers demonstrates that atmospheric characteristics (emotion and social presence) and capital characteristics (information quality and quantity) in video streams enhance similarity and power. Both similarity and power are associated with an increase in consumer purchase intention. This study validates the dual-path influence of social commerce characteristics and discusses theoretical and managerial implications. Full article

Collaboration is one of the major tenets of Child First justice and yet is proving problematic in its application across the sector, especially where children are compelled through court orders to engage with interventions, creating inevitable power imbalances. In order to facilitate children in genuinely influencing decision-making processes which concern them, their voice needs to be given its proper value. In this article we use the youth justice system of England and Wales to explore the meaning, value and presence of collaboration within youth justice whilst examining the power dynamics at play through the analytical lenses of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological approach and Bourdieu’s analytical tools. This lends itself to a novel conceptualisation of collaboration within the youth justice space, which is applicable to youth justice contexts internationally, distinguishing between different forms of the concept and examining how much opportunity for influence is actually given to children within their own youth justice journeys. Full article

Media self-censorship related to war and military conflict is usually analysed by evaluating the journalistic practices of the countries involved in the war. The objective of this study is to explore how the self-censorship of Latvian public service media (Latvian Radio and Latvian Television) employees developed in response to changes in the internal socio-political discourse after Russia’s full-scale invasion in Ukraine, because of which the Latvian PSM found themselves in the crossfire of long-term criticism and attacks by politicians and audience representatives. Employing semi-structured interviews and qualitative content analysis, this study analyses the perception of self-censorship at all levels (journalists, producers, programme hosts, editors) (15 informants), factors that influence the development of self-censorship, informants’ coping strategies, and the impact of self-censorship on PSM content (78 items of content on various channels and platforms). The conceptual framework of this study is based on Bourdieu’s field theory and Spiral of Silence Theory, exploring how self-censorship affects journalists’ professional habitus, social capital, and agency. The results of this study show that, although Latvia is not involved in the nearby war, politician- and audience member-driven self-censorship affects PSM platforms’ daily agenda, source selection, and editorial line, reducing the diversity and pluralism of PSM content. Full article