Symbolic Power, Illusio and Affectivity in the Sociology of Pierre Bourdieu

Abstract

Strictly speaking, Bourdieu did not develop specific works on emotions and affects. However, as we expect to show, the emotional dimension is an integral part of his perspective and a gateway to his reflections on power. With this premise, the objective of this paper is to analyze Bourdieu’s perspective on symbolic power, based on the notion of illusio. Can illusio be understood as a mechanism of power and symbolic domination involving forms of emotional expression? Based on the analysis carried out, we support an affirmative answer to this question, assuming illusio as a principle of perception, emotional investment, adhesion and belief, by means of which the agents affectively commit themselves to the asymmetric logic of the fields in which they participate, moved by aspirational mechanisms from which they end up indirectly legitimizing the social order.