Cultural power and religion (Example of Pierre Bourdieu)

This thesis aims to show the relationship between cultural power and religion through the determination of the connections between religion, culture and power in the sociology of Pierre Bourdieu. According to sociology, religion and culture are important phenomena that shape people's lives throughout history. These two phenomena meet on a dialectical ground that feeds each other in social reality. Therefore, the interaction of culture and religion as a directing factor in people's lives is inevitable when it comes to sovereign power. Power, which we can define as having a say in society or as a dominant discourse as a way of life, has a selective affinity with religion and culture due to its functional features that organize societies and make them livable. According to Bourdieu, the phenomenon of power is not only specific to the field of politics, but is seen in all areas of society. Therefore, in Bourdieu's sociology, cultural power appears as a will to power that tries to dominate social capital. There is a preamble between the concepts of habitus, capital and space, which stand out in this sociology, and the relationship between religion and cultural power. Basing the concepts of field and habitus on a religious basis by Bourdieu strengthens the idea that religion is the basis of the idea of cultural power. Therefore, both the religious background of the concepts and the closeness of the relationship between cultural power and religion make it possible to discuss this issue and Bourdieu's approach within the discipline of sociology of religion. In addition, document analysis technique, which is accepted as one of the qualitative research methods, was used in accordance with the purpose of the research in the thesis.