The habitus in the conception of Norbert Elias and Pierre Bourdieu

Abstract

This article aims to conduct an expository and comparative analysis of the concept of habitus as mobilized by Norbert Elias and Pierre Bourdieu, presenting its philosophical origins, sociological uses, and theoretical implications for understanding the non-dual relationship between structure and agency. In Elias, habitus is conceived as a “structure of personality” historically shaped by the civilizing process and by interdependent figurations, functioning as a “second nature” that articulates psychic and collective dimensions. In Bourdieu, it is defined as a “system of durable and transposable dispositions” that mediates the relationship between objective structures and subjective practices, manifesting through practical sense and the internalization of the rules governing social fields. Despite their different emphases—historical and psychogenic in Elias, praxiological and relational in Bourdieu—both engage in the debate that seeks to overcome the dichotomy between individual and society, conceiving the social as a relational and embodied process. The study reaffirms the relevance of habitus as a central category in contemporary sociological theory.