Bourdieu and Gramsci: Intellectuals Between Academia and Politics

Abstract

This article proposes a comparative analysis of Pierre Bourdieu's and Antonio Gramsci's theories on the role of intellectuals in society, focusing on their contributions to understanding domination, hegemony, and social transformation. While Bourdieu, embedded in the French academic field, analyzes intellectuals through the notions of field and habitus, emphasizing their relative autonomy and their role in reproducing or contesting power structures, Gramsci, drawing from his experience as a communist militant, develops the concept of the organic intellectual as a key agent in building proletarian hegemony. Thus, the article explores the convergences and divergences between their perspectives, particularly regarding the relationship between intellectuals, politics, and society. It concludes that although Gramsci and Bourdieu depart from distinct contexts and concerns, both offer valuable contributions to rethinking the role of intellectuals in overcoming inequalities and constructing a universalist project. The article suggests that articulating both perspectives could enrich contemporary debates on intellectuals' place in the struggle for social transformation.