Du discours à la pratique

Drawing on the asymmetrical relationship between Foucault and Bourdieu, this contribution aims to make a strong point concerning their possibly missed encounter. Foucault means by archaeology a way of getting rid of all the claims of the social sciences, including history. Although he is well-versed in historical sociology, particularly in Weber, he is not ready to identify his endeavor with any other type of knowledge, in spite of possible family resemblances, likely to be caused by the homogeneity of French philosophical training in the 1950s. Bourdieu’s critique of Foucault may be too quick and at times inadequate, but it captures the lack of compatibility between their respective constructions. Foucault’s silence is eloquent: “Do not ask me who I am” does not mean that he could be identified as a social scientist.  And “do not ask me to remain the same” does not imply that he could turn into a sociologist either. But the confrontation is never useless.