Cultural Capital Flashcards
What is cultural capital?
Cultural capital is the essential knowledge that children need in order to be educated citizens. This allows them to get the best possible start that they can get.
Term created by Pierre Bordieu in the 1970 from Marx’s idea of economic capital: the more capital you have the more powerful you are
There are three states of cultural capital identified by Bourdieu:
1. Embodied: cultural goods, books, works of art
2. Objectified: language, mannerism, preference (posh, or with an accent…)
3. Institutionalised: qualifications, education credentials
But there are additional states, for example emotional (e.g. how empathic we are) and national (linked to own tradition and culture)
Benefits of enhancing cultural capital
- Narrowing the attainment gap
- Broadening minds and outlooks on life
- Experiencing awe and wonder
- Reducing disadvantage
- Understanding children’s background and experiences
- Developing knowledge and understanding of the community and wider world
- Building aspirations
How to promote Cultural Capital
- Provide opportunities to experience awe and wonder using the seven areas of learning
- Creating enabling environment
- Considering the unique child (abilities, own culture, individual needs and experiences)
- Implementing positive interactions and adult modelling
- Engaging parents, showing interest to their home life and culture, attention to recent/upcoming changes, with KP being the link between home and the setting.
- Creating that ‘wow factor’ from children to stimulate them with activities and environments
