Professional Capital Contested: A Bourdieusian Analysis of Conflicts between Professionals and Managers

Although Bourdieu paid scant attention to (and in fact discredited) the notion of professionalism, his social theory is well-equipped to understand the evolution of professional work. Professionalism can be conceived as a set of symbolic resources that (re)produce an occupational order, favoring expertise and craftsmanship. In neo-liberal economies this order is contested and professional powers are dis-trusted; professional work is seen as closed-off and conservative. Managers have become important vehicles for rationalizing and innovating production, and improving “value for money. ” In fact, managerial “fields ” are created, and con-flicts between managerial and professional fields are well documented. These conflicts are ironic, as new classes of managers seek classic strategies of profession-alization as well as classic forms of professional capital for securing managerial positions. They form professional associations, for instance, and invest in school-ing, credentials and work codes. This paper explores conflicts between profes-sionals and managers as “contests over symbolic capital. ” We argue that professional capital is appropriated by managers in order to distinguish “new” from “old ” professional work in larger economized fields of power