Reflexivity in Sociology: How Gouldner and Bourdieu Deal with the Issue of  Reflexivity in Sociology and Social Theory

Reflexivity has become a popular concept in social sciences nowadays. The concept usually refer to critical self awareness of the social scientists and being able to explicitly mention the intentional or intentional mentioned biases and shortcomings which might implications for the production of knowledge. Two of the most well-known sociologists who have pioneered the concept of reflexivity are Alvin Gouldner and Pierre Bourdieu whose ideas have influenced what most of us know about reflexivity today. This article aims to present a critical review of the work of the two sociologists in order to compare their positions regarding the concepts. Furthermore, the article explore the implication of their work for current state of sociology and sociological research. It has been argued that both of the scholars have many useful insights to offer to the current sociology and that their call for reflexivity has been relevant as today as it was many decades ago.