This article reviews two books on the work of the French social theorist Pierre Bourdieu, with a special focus on issues of language, education, and literacy. The article sketches out Bourdieu's main theoretical ideas with respect to language and raises a number of issues on classroom language and academic discourse. Bourdieu's approach is considered with respect to a range of theoretical perspectives, and areas of potential integration are explored. Various examples from the two books under review are used as exemplifications of the issues raised. Finally, key aspects of methodology are addressed, namely, constructing the research object, field analysis, and participant 'objectivation'. Emergent themes are related to issues in literacy and education. The article is an appraisal of the potential of a Bourdieusian application to language research and sets out key characteristics of such an undertaking