Cultural Capital - Pierre Bourdieu (1977)

Question 1

What did Bourdieu research?

Answer 1

• researched what middle-class parents and their children possessed and deducted that it is the **cultural capital*g that helps them succeed in school

Question 2

what is social reproduction?

Answer 2

cultural resources transmitted and reproduced through the education system that help higher classes maintain their privileged postion across generations

Question 3

qualities of middle class parents regarding education (4)

Answer 3

• pro-education
• usually highly qualified
• knowledge of how school works
• apply pressure when required

Question 4

What is Bourdieu’s concept of habitus? What is a middle-class habitus?

Answer 4

• refers to ‘the typical way of doing things’
• middle-class habitus includes healthy, pro-education socialisation from an early age

Question 5

How is working-class (WC) habitus different? How do those pupils feel as a result?

Answer 5

• WC do not often include education as a priority
• WC people feel ‘out of place’ and disconnected at school