Political Skills and Political Incompetence. Pierre Bourdieu and the Link between Education and Politics

In valuing Pierre Bourdieu's notion of “symbolic violence,” the contribution initially refers to the essential aspects of Bourdieusian theory of education, understood as a powerful tool for the reproduction of social inequalities. Next, attention is focused on Bourdieusian theory of politics, highlighting both the implications of the concept of “habitus” and the significance of the remarks against representative democracy made by Bourdieu himself. Finally, the two aspects are combined, conceptualizing the link between education and politics in the wake of Pierre Bourdieu's insights.