The origin of habitus

This is a really good question! I believe that habitus starts by basic human interaction and as more individuals come together to view a certain ritual as legitimate, habitus is created. And like what others have said in this discussion, it originates from basically survival of the fittest and the dominant sets rules and regulations to help organize society. However these 'rules' are created to guarantee that those in power remains in power. Just like the belief that one is to work hard to earn money, it is a value created to prevent individuals from cheating the system and overthrowing the elite. Slowly, these values are solidified throughout society, creating a collective system of thought.

Hi Jessica, I agree with your opinion. According to Bourdieu, habitus is the socialized norms that guide individuals' behaviour and thinking. I think habitus is created by the past events and structures. The evolution process allows it to continue to shape the current practices and structures. Habitus is also being reproduced unconsciously. Since it tends to lead us to become successful in the society, people continue to reinforce it. For example, if you want to survive and become famous in Hollywood, you will need to learn the 'rules' and know how to play with these 'rules'. People who are good at playing these 'rules' are the dominant group in this particular environment.

I believe that one of the reasons the concept of habitus came about was to explain the reasons for some social scenarios. Like the paper mentioned, people in different classes are exposed to different culture, which makes one group appreciate certain stuff when the other group doesn't. Because habitus is so ingrained in society it makes people think that it was naturally occurring. So the first time this idea of habitus came was when people realized that habitus is actually built through human actions and that there is a reason for its existence. Then people were finally able to understand the idea of habitus as a navigator in social environments.