Chapter abstract This chapter argues that Bourdieu’s sociology of the state outlines an interesting research program, which focuses on innovation and transformation rather than only domination and reproduction. The chapter begins by presenting some of the epistemological and conceptual elements found in Bourdieu’s sociology of the state. The chapter then goes on to focus on his often overlooked sociohistorical approach to state formation, which involves a research program that emphasizes structural tensions that encourage transformation, specific actors that drive these transformations, and concrete inventions that created the state as a new social phenomenon. As such, the chapter aims not only to present Bourdieu’s sociology of the state, but also to argue that his sociology is much more dynamic, processual, and focused on transformation than is usually assumed in presentations of Bourdieu.