Analysing the Symbolic Economy with Pierre Bourdieu: The World of Crafts

The world of crafts belongs to the ‘economy of symbolic goods’ identified by Pierre Bourdieu. The theoretical aim of this article is to show that Bourdieu’s analytical framework and methods are particularly useful to comprehend the structure of the diverse French craft economy and to understand the different ways in which symbolic and economic dimensions combine. First, the use of quantitative and qualitative methods (especially geometric data analysis) enables to highlight the structure of the world of crafts which remains divided between a traditional pole and a contemporary pole. Then, the apparent opposition between economic and symbolic aspects of crafts, represented by the two poles, is qualified by pointing out the different forms of ‘denial of the economy’ adopted by artist-craftsmen according to their economic and social characteristics. Finally, the article shows how economic and symbolic dimensions combine through the symbolic construction of the economic value of craft products.