ABSTRACT:
This article proposes “social representations” (Moscovici) as symbolic formations that concentrate “symbolic capital” (Bourdieu). The first part discusses the “social field” and the “field of the object of representation”. The former focuses on the material bases, whereas the latter emphasizes group interactions. In the second part, “symbolic capital” and “social representations” are situated in a social space of struggles/conflicts in which the relationships of influence/power define the “power of becoming a group”. The third proposes that the power of the group to “enforce its worldview” goes through the recognition of the other, a process related to the “attribution of value” and affective experiences. It defends social representations as a concept that supports an interactionist and positional analysis of the social world, becoming useful and applicable to the field of recognition.
Keywords:
Social Representations; Symbolic Capital; Groups; Interest