Abstract

Drawing on a recent contribution by Pierre Bourdieu ("Propos sur le champ politique"), the essay focuses on two main themes: the "political field" as a world apart, a separate circle whose borders are kept strictly under control by those who act as gatekeepers (politicians and media people); and the exclusion from the "field", that is, from positions of power and legitimation, of other voices, including some that might well contribute to a more adequate understanding of ongoing social and cultural processes in contemporary society. Bourdieu refers in particular to his own studies on the French educational system and how they are treated as voices from an "outsider". The personal and political reasons why borders (between what takes place "inside" vs. "outside") represent a crucial enjeu in politics are addressed with reference to specific traits of the Italian situation; similarly, so are mechanisms which reinforce this dimension in many public and private circumstances; and their cultural and symbolic meanings are seen within the context of current developments in the Italian political scene.