Chapter 2 The Emergence of a Dualist Structure

The Dialectic of Distinction (pp 126-127)
Bourdieu suggests from the readings of the era, the last half of 19th century, is an era of action and reaction. In other words, every agent of an action constitutes this position as a result of reaction. He shows binary oppositions between literary and cultural production, mostly wholesale reactions against to each other.
Specific Revolutions and External Changes (pp 127-128)
Bourdieu asserts that in case of struggle between possessors of specific capital and those who don’t, either of these poles can draw an external support in order to overthrow the current hierarchy of genres, authors, and schools. This external support is mostly political and economic but furthermore it is the change of conditions in literary market that genres are produced and consumed. Expansion in the economy and the increase in educated population played a detrimental role in this process. Increase in these areas opened new spaces for people to make money with their pen and population to read these works and consume. In order to exemplify his claim, Bourdieu shows the example of rise and fall of Naturalism in the second half of 19th century. What brought Naturalist movement into foreground during 1860s also caused the movement to overturn after 1880s. Once the condition of preceding era changes or disappears the balances change in the literary arena that enables struggle for shifting genres or authors and creates new set of hierarchies.