Sociologist and writer
Born in Paris in 1949, Luc Boltanski is a sociologist, writer and head of studies at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris, where he established the Groupe de Sociologie Politique et Morale (GSPM). Regarded as a leading figure in critical thought and what has come to be known as French pragmatic sociology, he has written works that have had a wide-ranging influence in the fields of sociology, political and social economy, and economic history.
His research in recent years has been concerned with the sociology of critical operations, especially with regard to present-day expressions in criticism of capitalism. He is also studying the repercussions of changes in capitalism for the functioning of the art world, where he applies his reflections on the determination of value and modes of valuing. Notable amongst his published works are:
- Enigmes et complots. Une enquête à propos d’enquêtes (2012, published in English as Mysteries and Conspiracies - Detective Stories, Spy Novels and the Making of Modern Societies, 2014).
- De la critique. Précis de sociologie de l’émancipation (2009 -On Critique: A Sociology of Emancipation-).
- La Production de l’idéologie dominante, co-edited with Pierre Bourdieu (2008 -The Production of the Dominant Ideology-).
- Le Nouvel Esprit du capitalisme, co-authored with Ève Chiapello (1999 -The New Spirit of Capitalism-).
- Les cadres. La formation d’un groupe social (1982, published in English as The Making of a Class. Cadres in French Society, 1987).
[Last update: March 2015].
