Pierre Bourdieu's life followed a trajectory both complex and contradictory, and his work left a distinctive mark on social thought of the 20th century. In this original and eloquent study, Reed-Danahay draws on the perspectives of ethnography and autobiography to offer new insights on Bourdieu's work. Using his own key concepts and reflections upon his life and career, she locates Bourdieu within his French milieu and within the current state of discussion of Europe and its colonial legacy.