Sociology or biography? Bauman under the perspective of his interpreters

Abstract

The article aims to resume critically studies devoted to the thought of Zygmunt Bauman, contemporary Polish sociologist, in order to grasp their signifi cance in the overall production and dissemination of his work. By associating ostensibly the author’s life to his modus operandi, such assessments are closer to a biographical study than properly metatheoretical one. To do so, we use the critical biographies and autobiographies of Pierre Bourdieu, in order to demonstrate the inadequacy of such readings. We conclude that the current studies of Bauman’s sociology respond more to the interest aroused by the author in recent decades in the broad non-specialized public, which demands a proper academic. However, the sociology of the author seems to be rooted in a dialogical perspective between scientific knowledge and common sense.