Pierre Bourdieu and his ethnographic study in Berber societies in Algeria

Pierre Bourdieu conducts ethnographic study in Berber societies in Algeria. This society does agriculture and lives in village. In this society, the construction of house and its design is almost same. Therefore, the plan of house reflects how Berber people lives and how they understand social world. He uses cosmology and oppositions to understand this people’s meaning world. This essay focuses on Bourdieu’s interpretations of Berber houses through the use of a series of oppositions. The house is separated into two parts. One part is stable which is dark and low. When people pass the threshold or door, at the left, the stable is seen. Another part is “kanun” which is light and upper. In stable, there are animals, water pitches, trough for oxen, jars of raw vegetable and woods. In the dark part of house, people sleep, give birth and have sex. Also, people wash dead in dark side. This part is associated with nature activities. In the light part of house, there are kitchen utensils, dishes, fireplace, jars of grain and weaving-loom. Woman cook and cope with weaving. In opposite to threshold or door, there is weaving-loom. In front of weaving-loom takes more light in the upper part. Next to the weaving-loom, there is rifle. Man use this to protect woman. The upper part is the place of human beings or guests. Indeed, it is cultural space. As it is seen above, there are lots of oppositions, such as dark and light, low and high, nature and culture, raw and food and so on. When Bourdieu looks at these oppositions, he realizes that meanings come from these oppositions. Indeed, he explain this with the following sentence: “These relationships of opposition are expressed through a whole set of convergent signs which establish the relationships at the same time as receiving their meaning from them. ” For example, when the guest comes to the house, if the household makes him or her to be honored, the household make the guest to sit in front of the weaving-loom because this location takes most light in the light place. Hence, the opposite is to sit in darkness of this part. Whenever this comes true, these guests generally say that his wall of darkness is as dark as a grave. The good or bad treatment is identified by opposition between dark and light. Also, ill person in the house lie next to the wall of darkness. Indeed, darkness is related to the death and illness, so this creates negative meanings about this wall. Another example is about maiden and weaving-loom. Before the marriage, maiden is protected by the head of the family by hiding maidens behind the weaving-loom where is darkness. During the wedding day, she seats in front of the weaving-loom where is light. Being girl or maiden is shame there. Son-in-low masks this shame, so the girls sit light place. We also see woman places and man places in the house. As I said above, through weaving-loom, the girls of house are protected. In addition to this, there is rifle next to the weaving-loom. With rifle, father or brothers protect girls. Weaving-loom has the symbol of male protection. Girls are hide behind weaving-loom for protection, and there is rifle in the lighter place of upper part. It is not put there haphazardly. Indeed, this light place is male’s place. Hence, the darker part of house represents the woman. For example, the woman transport water and carry woods. These activities are done in the dark part. Like the opposition between darks part and light part in the house, there are also opposition between inside and outside. As I said before, woman is interested in the cooking, weaving-loom and animal in the house whereas the man works in the field. The man does agriculture. Also, they go to assembly of mosque or café. The outside is for man. If the man does not go to outside, if the man is not seen in places of public, the society does not approve this man. When we look at places of woman, woman belongs two spaces, namely the house and tomb. They should not be seen in the outside. If they have to go to the outside, they should come back to house quickly. Also, the house is intimate place, feeling place whereas the outside is social place. In addition to this, the man represents the fertility of field. When the man produces goods, the woman takes care of this agricultural goods. It is something like sexual act. Whereas the man is fertilizing, the woman is able to been fertilized. For this reason, the house is sacred place, and the society never tolerate theft because honor of man can be destroyed. When it is looked at the homologous oppositions, it is seen that these oppositions are fit into each other. Indeed, they complete each other. This is seen in some sayings in this society. One of them is that “the woman supports the man. ”, and the other one is that “the woman is central pillar. ”. Indeed, whereas the woman is foundation, the man is governing beam. Central pillar and beam should complement each other. By looking at homologous oppositions, social world of this society is formed by them. Opposition between man and woman comes from human nature or cosmos. Oppositions create social categories. These categories form the structure of this society. Even the houses are influenced by these categories. Then, woman and man look at the world in the perspective of opposition. With this perspective of nature, the man dominate woman, but the woman does not resist the man because the woman is taken for granted this social world. Understanding of human nature or cosmos is normal for man and woman. This understanding is found in my own society. For example, about homosexuality, my own society’s people say that homosexuality is not in our nature. Indeed, natural oppositions between man and woman create social system in this society. To conclude, Pierre Bourdieu examines the Berber houses and he finds oppositional design in the house. After, he notices that this society works with oppositions. These oppositions include: Dark and light, raw and food, low and high, inside and outside, nature and culture. By analyzing these oppositions, he realizes that opposition between man and woman comes from natural understanding, and this opposition create whole structure of this society.