The weight of the world : social suffering in contemporary society

Confined in their governmental ivory towers, their actions largely dictated by public opinion polls, politicians and state officials are all too often oblivious to the everyday lives of ordinary citizens. These persons, who often experience so much hardship in their lives, have few ways to make themselves heard and are obliged either to protest outside official frameworks or remain locked in the silence of their despair. Under the direction of Pierre Bourdieu, France’s foremost sociologist, a team of 22 researchers spent three years studying and analyzing the new forces of social suffering that characterize contemporary societies—the daily suffering of those denied the means of acquiring a socially dignified existence and of those poorly adjusted to the rapidly changing conditions of their lives. Social workers, teachers, policemen, factory workers, white-collar clerks, farmers, artisans, shopkeepers—no one seems to be immune from the frustrations of today’s life, not to speak of the institutions of the family, work, and education.The book can be read like a series of short stories, which include: a steel worker who was laid off after 20 years and now struggles to support his family on unemployment benefits and a part-time job; a trade unionist who finds his goals undermined by the changing nature of work; a family from Algeria living in a housing tract on the outskirts of Paris who must cope with pervasive forms of racism; and a schoolteacher confronted with urban violence. Reading these stories enables one to register these people’s lives and the forms of social suffering that infuse them.The original publication of this book was a major social and political event in France, where it topped the best-seller list and triggered a widespread public debate on inequality, politics, and civic solidarity. It offers not only a distinctive method for analyzing social life, but another way of practicing politics. Confined To Their Governmental Ivory Towers, And With Their Eyes Fixed On The Opinion Polls, Politicians And State Officials Are All Too Often Oblivious To The Lives Of Their Citizens. On The Other Hand, The Ordinary Men And Women Who Have So Much Hardship In Their Lives, And So Few Means To Make Themselves Heard, Either Protest Outside The Official Frameworks Or Remain Locked In The Silence Of Their Despair. Under The Direction Of Pierre Bourdieu, A Team Of Sociologists Spent Three Years Analysing The New Forms Of Social Suffering That Characterize Contemporary Societies - The Suffering Of Those Who Are Denied The Means Of Acquiring A Socially Dignified Existence, As Well As The Suffering Of Those Who Are Poorly Adjusted To The Rapidly Changing Condition Of Their Lives. Declining Housing Estates, The School, The Family, Street-level State Services, The Everyday World Of Social Workers And Policemen, Factory Workers And White-collar Clerks, The Universe Of Farmers And Artisans, Of Teachers And The Unemployed And Partly Employed: These Are Just Some Of The Spaces Where Conflict Occurs, Where Specific Discriminations And Recriminations, Tensions And Contradictions Abound And Accumulate, And Where New Forms Of Suffering Are Produced. This Book Can Be Read Like A Series Of Short Stories - The Story Of A Steelworker Who Was Laid Off After Twenty Years In The Same Factory And Who Now Struggles To Support His Family On Unemployment Benefits And A Part-time Job; The Story Of A Trade Unionist Who Finds His Goals Undermined By The Changing Nature Of Work; The Story Of A Family From Algeria Living On A Housing Estate On The Outskirts Of Paris Whose Members Have To Cope With Pervasive, Everyday Forms Of Racism; The Story Of A Schoolteacher Confronted With Urban Violence; And Many Others As Well.--book Cover. Part I. The Space Of Points Of View / Pierre Bourdieu. -- 1. Jonquil Street / Pierre Bourdieu -- 2. A Displaced Family / Bdelmalek Sayad -- 3. Everyone In A Place Of Their Own / Rosine Christin -- 4. The View From The Media / Patrick Champagne -- 5. The Order Of Things / Pierre Bourdieu -- 6. An Integrated Family / Patrick Champagne -- 7. A Bad Investment / Gabrielle Balazs -- 8. Rehabilitation / Gabrielle Balazs -- 9. The Last Difference / Patrick Champagne --- Part Ii. Site Effects / Pierre Bourdieu. -- 10. America As Social Dystopia / Loic J.d. Wacquant -- 11. Inside The Zone / Loic J.d. Wacquant -- 12. Homeless In El Barrio / Philippe Bourgois --- Part Iii. Abdication Of The State / Pierre Bourdieu. -- 13. An Impossible Mission / Pierre Bourdieu -- 14. Institutional Bad Faith / Pierre Bourdieu -- 15. Double Binds / Pierre Bourdieu And Gabrielle Balazs -- 16. The View From The State / Patrick Champagne -- 17. Disorder Among Agents Of Order / Remi Lenoir --^ 18. Woman And Cop Remi Lenoir -- 19. A Living Reproach / Remi Lenoir --- Part Iv. The Way Down. -- 20. Permanent And Temporary Workers / Michel Pialoux And Stephane Beaud -- 21. The Old Worker And The New Plant / Michel Pialoux -- 22. The Temp's Dream / Stephane Beaud -- 23. Working Nights / Rosine Christin -- 24. Possession / Rosine Christin -- 25. The End Of A World / Pierre Bourdieu -- 26. The Shop Steward's World In Disarray / Michel Pialoux -- 27. The Stolen Work / Sandrine Garcia -- 28. A Silent Witness / Rosine Christin -- 29. Such A Fragile Equilibrium / Pierre Bourdieu And Gabrielle Balazs -- 30. Hanging By A Thread / Pierre Bourdieu -- 31. A Life Lost / Pierre Bourdieu -- 32. The Fall / Patrick Champagne -- 33. Broken Careers / Louis Pinto --- Part V. Outcasts On The Inside / Pierre Bourdieu And Patrick Champagne. -- 34. Those Were The Days / Pierre Bourdieu -- 35. A Paradise Lost / Sylvain Broccolichi -- 36. Cogs In The Machine / Sylvain Broccolichi And Francoise Euvrard --^ 37. A Double Life / Rosine Christin -- 38. French Class / Rosine Christin -- 39. The Upper Hand / Sylvain Broccolichi -- 40. Institutional Violence / Gabrielle Balazs And Abdelmalek Sayad --- Part Vi. The Contradictions Of Inheritance / Pierre Bourdieu. -- 41. Academic Destiny / Alain Accardo -- 42. A Compromising Success / Charles Soulie -- 43. The Spirit Of Contradiction / Emmanuel Bourdieu And Denis Podalydes -- 44. Wife And Colleague / Jean-pierre Faguer -- 45. The Curse / Abdelmalek Sayad -- 46. Emancipation / Abdelmalek Sayad -- 47. The Sick Person As Object / François Bonvin -- 48. Solitude / Gabrielle Balazs -- Part Vii. Understanding / Pierre Bourdieu. 49. Postscript / Pierre Bourdieu. Pierre Bourdieu And Alain Accardo, ... [et Al.] ; Translated By Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson, ... [et Al.]. Of The 69 Articles Or Interviews In La Misère Du Monde, 54 Appear In This Edition In Addition To The Methodological Discussion Of 'understanding.' Articles Were Omitted For Reasons Of Redundancy For A Non-french Audience Or Where The Interviewees Occupied Very Distinctively French Positions ...--p. Ix. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. To understand what happens in places like "projects" or "housing developments" as well as in certain kinds of schools, places which bring together people who have nothing in common and force them to live together, either in mutual ignorance and incomprehension or else in latent or open conflict - with all the suffering this entails - it is not enough to explain each point of view separately.