Pierre Bourdieu, professor of sociology at the College de France*

Abstract

The article deals with a specific moment in the work and professional practice of Pierre Bourdieu: his first five years as a professor of sociology at the Collège de France, during which time he taught the course titled “General Sociology”. With the objective of analyzing his practice not only as a researcher but also as a professor, and then seeking to understand his conception of sociology, the text retraces the intellectual scenario around the Collège de France, highlighting the significance of Pierre Bourdieu being selected for the Chair of Sociology, as well as analyzing the themes, objectives and guiding threads of the lectures he taught in those early years. This article was produced from a qualitative study of bibliographic nature, in dialogue with national and international authors and after analyzing Bourdieu’s General Sociology course. The study ended up corroborating the relevance of analyzing this peak period in the intellectual trajectory of the sociologist. In addition, it made evident that Bourdieu, as a professor and with the pedagogical intentionality which the position entails, connected the threads of teaching and research in sociology, favoring debates on Bourdieusian sociology and, above all, on the place of sociology in the social world.