Homologies in fields of cultural production. Evidence from the European scientific field

Abstract

This article suggests a comparative field analytical approach to fields of cultural production. Combining concepts from field analysis and focusing on homology with topic modeling and multiple correspondence analysis, we compare four scientific disciplines and show homological structures along both internal and external principles of differentiation. The empirical analysis suggests that despite major differences between the four disciplines (biology, chemistry, economics, and sociology), they are structured along similar principles. Moreover, cognitive distinctions in certain disciplines can be correlated with institutional properties and symbolic hierarchies. Despite the similarities, the analysis also shows important differences between the four disciplines related to internal organization and their relations to both other scientific disciplines and the field of power. The article shows how topic modeling and multiple correspondence analysis can cross-fertilize to understand how fields of cultural production differentiate and how cultural practices (here scientific knowledge production) relate to social structures (here academic hierarchies and prestige). The method hence allows for comparison between fields of cultural production while retaining a nuanced analysis of specific fields and the practices that constitute them.