The 'habitus' that keeps us in outdated politics - David Harvey's Anti-Capitalist Chronicles

In this clip, David Harvey introduces French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu's concept of "habitus" and why it's important to understand our current political situation.

"And that inevitability, that kind of almost 'it is a fact of nature rather than a fact of politics and culture' and all the rest of it, it becomes terribly important. And this is when neoliberalism becomes embedded in our consciousness and embedded in our subconscious. And that makes it extremely difficult to get out of neoliberal ways of thinking, even though it's lost its political legitimacy."

________________________________________________________________________________

David Harvey's Anti-Capitalist Chronicles is a @Democracy At Work production. To our supportive and generous Patreon community: thank you for supporting this podcast. Your contributions help us compensate the staff and workers it takes to put each episode together. Thank you for being part of the ACC team!

Follow us ONLINE:

________________________________________________________________________________

Check out the NEW 2021 Hardcover edition of “Understanding Marxism,” with a new, lengthy introduction by Richard Wolff!

“Marxism always was the critical shadow of capitalism. Their interactions changed them both. Now Marxism is once again stepping into the light as capitalism shakes from its own excesses and confronts decline.”

[peternyc]

This is a super important video. Professor Harvey has identified the mechanism responsible for maintaining our political and social impotence. We Americans are stuck arguing against the "other" side, whether it be liberal or conservative, when in fact both sides are of the same coin. We Americans think we are dealing with important issues when in fact we are embracing straw man arguments that are meant to distract us from the real issues. Liberal vs. conservative is just a blue straw man vs. a red straw man. We have to wake up.

[desi_anarch]

This was very eye opening for me. Thank you professor.

[chow]

I've not heard of Pierre Bourdieu's concept of Habitus in 23 years. The inculcation of ways of being in the world.

[tanujSE]

I hope Professor David Harvey is fine

[Genedide]

I remember you gave appraisements to Paul Krugman for Kenysians awakening to being gradually marginalized in the Anti-Capitalist Chronicles podcast. However, Thomas Piketty makes Krugman look radical. Piketty's newest book is Time for Socialism makes it official that he denounces trying to reform capitalism, and is time to implement 'some sort socialist alternative.' On your next coming podcasts, I hope you give kudos to Mr, Piketty for his new realizations.

[MatMoridi]

How can one be aware of such a thing as a ‘habitus’ which is in reciprocation with material transactions, and continue to behave “naturally” in the world? Doesn’t this create a divide in the individual psyche, causing one to constantly have to go through an interpretation of the reality around them independent of the habitus, and re-interpret that in a way that relates to it?
In other words, doesn’t the “non-neoliberal” individual that is conscious of the functioning of the habitus end up behaving unnaturally towards and alienated from the society unless they are willing to take up the burdensome task of constant interpretation and re-interpretation of reality?

[iamstartower]

Hey santa... i need new toys for x-mas... fix supply chain soon...

[Tampa]

iam confused did you tube get the labels wrong? Any way saw the house I grew up in and even rhe playgrounds I use to play in.

[AmyDentata]

There is no viable alternative... to socialism

[xinpingdonohoe]

I don't consider the habitus of capitalist economy needing a change, but part of the habitus of culture does. Age. Age is nothing in truth, but there are so many parts of society built on random numbers. Age of consent, age of driving tests, age of voting, it's all arbitrary. Anyone at any time should be able to take a comprehensive compatibility test in whatever field. If they truly are too young to be trusted with it, that will make itself clear in the results of the test.

[secularnevrosis]

The problem of no being able to differentiate Human Nature from Human Behavior.
This is something you come across all the time. People are very quick to point at a problem and say 'It's human nature!' when it is human behavior. Just to make something as a matter of fact and not have to deal with the problem.
How we behave is the product of our upbringing, culture, society and family. That changes all the time. Women can vote, equality for all, slavery is seen as an abomination, child labor is bad etc, The proponents of slavery or against universal suffrage used the tired *it's human nature. It's the natural order of things" Making it a problem that isn't theirs to solve, even though they prop up that behaviour.
Who we are as a species is "Human Nature" that doesn't change fast in any sense of the word.

[Bjorn]

= socialisation, social behavior, progressing social trust, like trust in employer, people, government.
OECD: in the US 🇺🇲 31% pronounced, in the OECD 47%, in Germany 🇩🇪 65% and #1 Norway 🇧🇻 83%.

[iamstartower]

🍅🍅🍅... politics raised to existence as a very needed alternative to give solution to problems without recurring to violence... and have FAILED miserably by instead perpetuating conflicts that could be easily solved by the use of force... socs twisted the meaning of politics to their advantages and sucked any value out of it...

[kamalpreetsingh]

Common people think about daily survival, fear of losing Job and struggle for getting Job, they dream about good relationship and sex, about their children study and work in the day time That's am unemployed knowledgeable person but now knowledge seems obselete to me because in near future I will have to burn all my books and do routine work, farming or husbunadry or work in bye to these intellectuals who are economically well off, read books and then vomit on public