Perspectives on the Individual and Society

notes on the social theories of Norbert Elias, Anthony Giddens and Pierre

Abstract

Over the course of the 20th century, sociology has developed enlightening theories on the relationship between individuals and society, with Norbert Elias, Anthony Giddens and Pierre Bourdieu standing out. The aim of this essay is to analyze the relevance of these theoretical perspectives on the relationship between individuals and society. The question guiding this essay is to discuss the importance of the relationship between individual and society in the theoretical perspectives of Norbert Elias, Anthony Giddens and Pierre Bourdieu in the field of sociological theory. Thus, the methodology employed is based on a theoretical discussion based on Bourdieu's notion of field, where fields are perceived as organized spaces of positions and power relations between agents or institutions. In the final considerations, we conclude that the theories of Elias, Giddens and Bourdieu offer complementary and complex views on the interdependence between the individual and society. Elias highlights reflexivity, Giddens the reciprocity between structure and agency, and Bourdieu the dynamics of habitus and fields. Bourdieu's theory of habitus and fields, in particular, provides a more holistic understanding of the complex relationship between individual and society. Even so, these theories are fundamental to a rich and dynamic analysis of the interaction between individual and society and should be investigated further.