Ancient Near Eastern Field Theory

Adapting Bourdieu for Social Biographies of the Ancient World

Bibliographic Data

ID22105255
AuthorsAdrianne Spunaugle (0000-0002-1081-0563, Research Council of Finland, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume12
Issue2
Pages204-221
Publication date2024-12-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Ancient History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2324-8106 • E-ISSN: 2324-8114
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1515/jah-2024-0022
OpenAlexW4405064720
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited16

This article is part of a special issue of the Journal of Ancient History , “Social Biographies of the Ancient World.” It presents the fundamental elements of Bourdieu’s sociological field theory before adapting them to apply to the study of ancient, premodern societies. By reverse-engineering the theory’s developmental process through the work of Bourdieu, the article underscores the process by which he came to develop his theory. His original process is then able to be adapted for use in ancient societies whose available sources limit ethnographic or (traditional) archival approaches. What results is a distillation of field theory as applicable for the study of the Ancient Near East and other ancient societies. “Ancient Near Eastern field theory” presents an avenue for further analysis of the social dynamics of the ancient world that still preserves the fundamental elements of Bourdieu’s theory. What results is a method, not a model, for analysis that the following three case studies utilize in various ways based on the questions of the researchers and the sources materials at hand. Thus, this adaptation of field theory is useful for additional research both into the case studies presented in this issue and as a method to address other questions of socio-historical significance

Ancient Greek · Epistemology · Social science · Social theory · Sociological theory · Sociology · Classics · Culture, Economy, and Development Studies · History · Mathematics · Philosophy · Social and Cultural Dynamics · Sports, Gender, and Society

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