Sociology is a Martial Art
Dead French Philosophers
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2h 20m
Directed by Pierre Carles • Documentary • With Pierre Bourdieu • 2001 • 146 minutes
SOCIOLOGY IS A MARTIAL ART, a documentary about Pierre Bourdieu's life, became an unexpected hit in France just prior to his death. Filmed over three years, director Pierre Carles' camera follows Bourdieu as he lectures, attends political rallies, travels, meets with his students, staff, and research team in Paris, and includes Bourdieu having a conversation with Gunter Grass.
The film's very title stresses the degree of Bourdieu's political engagement. He took on the mantle of Emile Zola and Jean-Paul Sartre in French public life, slugging it out with politicians because he considered those lucky enough to have spent their lives studying the social world could not be indifferent to the struggle for justice.
"Tour de force... If you are interested in European social movements, the practice of sociology, a strong critique of neoliberalism and the sources of structural inequalities, then this documentary is for you."—Film & History