From the sociology of the space of power in France to studies of “elites” in Brazil

circuits of “bourdieusian” exchange

Abstract

In this article we seek to highlight some of the contributions of Pierre Bourdieu and researchers close to the investigations on “elites”, especially to the delimitation of a non-canonical political sociology. For that purpose, at first we highlight the main interlocutors and discussions that led to the strengthening of French political sociology with “bourdieusian” inspiration. From that point on, we seek to highlight the gestation of an analytical scheme that reverberated in reflections directed at national configurations that differ from those that stimulated its original formulations. Secondly, taking as a starting point the Anpocs Working Groups (1970-2021) intended for derivations of the same theme, we present some circuits of researchers who invested, in different contexts and with different meanings, in the treatment of leading groups, as well as being notable for the operationalization/diffusion of the “Bourdieu model” in Brazil.