Categories and categorization: towards a comprehensive sociological framework

Abstract

This article presents a comprehensive framework for the study of categories and categorization. Sociological studies of the classic theme ‘categorization’ seem to have faded in favor of psychological research and – most recently – policy studies, and we argue that present theories lack an adequate conception of the distinction between political and social categories as well as an adequate conceptualization of the different social contexts for categorization. Concerning the first point, we suggest separating an understanding of the political as legitimate use of state power and performative and dislocative practices, corresponding to a conception of the social as that which is beyond political institutions and that which is sedimented and stable. Drawing mainly on French epistemology, the article further discusses three important contexts for social (i.e. beyond political institutions) categories and categorization, namely systems of exchange, symbolic lifestyles and bodily schemes, and moral boundaries and perceptions of normality. These contexts are complementary and each presents an autonomous arena for processes of categorization and construction of social categories. In conclusion, we suggest that much can be gained from addressing political categories in the sociological study of categorization.

Keywords:

• Bourdieu
• Canguilhem
• categories
• categorization
• political categories
• social categories
• symbolic boundaries

Acknowledgements

This study was partly financed by the The Danish Council for Independent Research – Social Sciences.

Notes

1. In comparison, a search for ‘social category’ resulted in 300 articles, of which over half were categorized as Psychology and only 30 as Sociology.