In this posthumously published collection of lectures delivered at the Collège de France, sociologist Pierre Bourdieu deconstructs the modern state. He argues it is not a neutral entity but a powerful field that holds a monopoly on legitimate physical and symbolic violence. Bourdieu meticulously explores the genesis of the state, revealing how it imposes its categories of thought through institutions like education and law, shaping social reality and legitimizing its own domination. This work offers a critical and foundational analysis of the hidden mechanisms of political power.