Luc Boltanski

Luc Boltanski (Paris, 1949) is a sociologist, writer and Director of Studies at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris, where he established the Groupe de Sociologie Politique et Morale (GSPM). One of the so-called French pragmatic sociologists and regarded as a leading figure in critical thought, he has written works that have had a wide-ranging influence in the fields of sociology, political and social economy and economic history. His research in recent years has been concerned with the sociology of critical operations, especially with regard to present-day expressions in criticism of capitalism. He is also studying the repercussions of changes in capitalism for the functioning of the art world, where he applies his reflections on the determination of value and modes of valuing. Notable amongst his published works are The New Spirit of Capitalism (co-authored with Ève Chiapello and published in Spanish as El nuevo espíritu del capitalismo – Akal, 2002), La producción de la ideologia dominante (The Production of the Dominant Ideology, co-edited with Pierre Bourdieu – Nueva Visión, 2009), Enigmes et complots. Une enquête à propos d’enquêtes (Gallimard, 2012) and On Critique: A Sociology of Emancipation (published in Spanish as De la crítica: compendio de sociología de la emancipación – Akal, 2014).