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This paper is for the most part expository of Pierre Bourdieu?s thinking regarding the state. Presenting Bourdieu?s thinking about the state seems appropriate at this time since his political sociology is not well known in North America, particularly his thinking regarding the state. The sociology of Pierre Bourdieu has certainly had a significant impact on contemporary thought and research in American sociology, particularly in the subfields of culture and education, but also in stratification and social theory. Less well understood, however, is his political sociology particularly with regard to the role of government in the stratification order. This paper attempts to address this important lacuna in American understanding of this leading European social scientist. It identifies the key influence of Max Weber on Bourdieu?s thinking and notes the point where Bourdieu believes he moves beyond Weber. The paper also identifies how Bourdieu?s thinking regarding the state is an extension of his broader sociology of culture, particularly his conceptualization of symbolic power, of class struggles as classification struggles, and his field analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]