Operationalizing Bourdieu in Management Research: A Relational, Power‐Aware Toolkit

Mansoureh Bahadori; Shamila  Ramjawan

doi:10.63029/08gy5j80

Authors

Mansoureh Bahadori CamEd Business School Author https://orcid.org/0009-0006-4668-6046
Shamila Ramjawan CamEd Business School Author https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5377-3194

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63029/08gy5j80

Keywords:

Bourdieu , Methodology, Theory of practice, Reflexivity, Gender capital, habitus, nomos

Abstract

This commentary turns Bourdieu’s theory of practice into a usable, power-aware methodology for management research. It defines three “methodological moments”—mapping the field, capturing habitus, and tracing capitals—and supplies practical tools: an interview guide aligned to field–habitus–capital–nomos, indicators to identify/weight forms of capital (including gender capital), and procedures to integrate interviews, archives, and observations. It details complementary analytic options (thematic analysis, Gioia-style inductive coding, and critical discourse analysis) and embeds validity safeguards such as triangulation, audit trails, and positionality memos. Extending prior work, it foregrounds boundary spanning as a mediating practice across fields and proposes a multi-cycle, practice-based participatory action research protocol. Overall, it shifts Bourdieusian research from justification to step-by-step application.

Author Biographies

Mansoureh Bahadori, CamEd Business School

Mansoureh Bahadori is a lecturer in English for Academic Purposes at CamEd Business School in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. She holds a Master of Business Administration and a Master of ELT, and she is currently a doctoral candidate in Organizational Leadership at Meridian University, USA. Her teaching supports business students, particularly in finance and accounting, in developing academic writing and communication skills. Her research interests include learner agency, inclusive pedagogy, faculty development, business psychology, and organizational culture.
Shamila Ramjawan, CamEd Business School

Dr Shamila Ramjawan holds a Doctorate from the Management College of Southern Africa (MANCOSA) and a Master of Business Administration from the University of South Africa Business School and the Open University, United Kingdom. She is currently a Business Communications lecturer at CamEd Business School in Cambodia and previously served as a Business Management lecturer at the University of South Africa (UNISA). An award-winning entrepreneur, author, and global humanitarian, Dr Ramjawan is also a certified Master NLP Practitioner and the author of ten books, including self-published works and contributions to several anthologies. Her work reflects a deep commitment to education, empowerment, and social innovation on a global scale.

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