The
sociological concept of cultural capital was coined and popularized by Pierre
Bourdieu. It can be best explained and summarized as the accumulation of
cultural resources at one's disposal.
Definition of Cultural Capital
Bourdieu defines cultural capital as the forms of
knowledge, education, skills, and advantages that a person has and that give
him a higher status within of the society. In principle, it is the parents who
provide the child with a certain cultural capital, transmitting attitudes and
knowledge necessary to develop in the current educational system. A simple
example would be that going to a good school gives you knowledge, know-how,
ties, manners of articulation and other advantages in life that are as good or
even better than actual capital. A more complex example of cultural capital is
the ability to know what to write in the application that get you into a good
school to begin with. According to Bourdieu the value cultural capital is
determined by society. It is therefore what differentiates societies, in
it are the characteristics shared by the members of said society, traditions,
forms of government, different religions, etc. And which is acquired and
reflected in the family and is reinforced in schools and daily life
situations. The concept is closely tied with Bourdieu's concept of Habitus.
Types and forms of cultural capital according to Bourdieu
Bourdieu divides cultural capital into three aspects: incorporated, objectified and institutionalized cultural capital:
Embodied cultural capital refers to the human being's ability to take part in a society through adherence to its embedded norms. For example, an important part of being able to do bossiness is knowing how to act as a businessman. In another example, to be able to write summaries about Bourdieu one needs the proper type of "habitus" to engage with them.
An objectified form of cultural capital are possessions the bear cultural value such as books, paintings etc. For example, having the "right" books on your shelf conveys the "right" person you are.
An institutionalized form such a capital is the formal acknowledgment
of one's cultural capital. The most common example are educational titles and
degrees. A diploma can be viewed as actual financial securities that one can
cash in depending on the value the market gives them.