"Many were surprised during the 1990s by Pierre Bourdieu’s increasingly open and direct engagement in democratic politics. The present collection helps to explain the intellectual roots of this engagement – which lie deep in Bourdieu’s theory – as well as its significance. Both Bourdieu’s contributions to political understanding and this book’s contributions to understanding Bourdieu are of enduring value." Craig Calhoun, Social Science Research Council "Can Pierre Bourdieu’s sociology contribute anything distinctive to our understanding of democratic politics? This scintillating volume answers with a resounding ‘yes,’ as the contributors tease out the as-yet-unappreciated political implications of the French sociologist’s signature concepts." Nancy Fraser, New School for Social Research