Historical Actor/Agency from a Praxeological Perspective Cover Image

Historical Actor/Agency from a Praxeological Perspective
Historical Actor/Agency from a Praxeological Perspective

Author(s): Zrinka Blažević
Subject(s): Anthropology
Published by: Institut za etnologiju i folkloristiku
Keywords: historical actor/agency; historical anthropology; praxeological theories

Summary/Abstract: This paper attempts to scrutinize a concept of historical actor/agency from the epistemological perspective of praxeological theories as formulated by Pierre Bourdieu, Anthony Giddens and Andreas Reckwitz. These theories are examined as potentially fruitful starting-points for theoretical re-articulation of the concept of historical actor/agency, mainly for their heuristic values and empirical research possibilities from the disciplinary perspective of historical anthropology. Moreover, the focus is put on detecting possible convergencies/divergencies of the praxeological notions of actor/agency with “grammatological” anthropology, the theory of intersectionality and dispositive analysis. In conclusion, this paper highlights indeterminacies, resistances and “residues” of agency as well as the (im)possibility of theorizing phenomena of ontological and phenomenological““différance”.

  • Issue Year: 48/2011
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 55-64
  • Page Count: 10
  • Language: English