Reading Bourdieu in Casanova: Field Theory, Illusio, and Habitus

Pascale Casanova’s world literature theory and methodology developed in The World Republic of Letters draws heavily from Pierre Bourdieu’s sociology. While criticism to date has noted (mostly in a superficial fashion) that Casanova builds explicitly on Bourdieu—for example, that she expands his nationally focused field theory into her ambitious theorisation of world literary space—, how and the extent to which Casanova implicitly draws and develops Bourdieu has not been fully uncovered. This paper analyses the implicit methodological and theoretical elements which Casanova has drawn from Bourdieu, specifically her subtle use and development of concepts such as the literary field, illusio, and habitus, as well as the role of critical reflexivity and epistemological vigilance in research. By reading Bourdieu in Casanova, it is possible to gain both a deeper understanding of Casanova’s theory and methodology by considering these Bourdieusian underpinnings and, at the same time nuance and revise Casanova’s proposal beyond the widespread Manichean critiques of her supposed inherent Gallocentrism.