Social Capital and Cultural Capital
According to Pierre Bourdieu, there are two types of capital: social and cultural (Bourdieu, 2018). Accordingly, he described social capital as the resources one has access to or can access due to their social relationships. An example of social capital is an individual getting a job interview with the CEO of a company because they are golf friends with the individual’s relative. On the other hand, cultural capital can be described as the non-financial social assets that promote a person’s social mobility beyond their economic means (Bourdieu, 2018). Examples of cultural capital include how one dresses, talks, behaves, and their hobbies, among other things. Get in touch with us at eminencepapers.com. We offer assignment help with high professionalism.
In the case scenario presented, Ted grew up in a low-class background and moved into an upper-class neighbourhood when he won the lottery. Even with all the money, Ted will have difficulty adjusting because he and the new neighbourhood will have distinct social and cultural capital differences. Ted may not have any meaningful, resourceful connections regarding social capital since he comes from a low-income neighbourhood where opportunities are close to none. This will contrast with his new neighbours who run in the same circles as politicians, millionaires, and billionaires. The same case applies to the difference in cultural capital; Ted may have very few skills that society uses to allocate value to people, like degrees from prestigious institutions, knowledge in sophisticated fields, and dressing classy, among others.
Considering Ted’s background, his hobbies are likely to be playing basketball with his friends, watching games on TV with his friends, and going camping, fishing, or hiking. His interests could include projects leading to community development to improve his community. On the other hand, Ted’s new millionaire neighbours will have entirely different hobbies, including attending basketball games with VIP tickets, going to the beach and cruising on their yachts, attending fashion shows, and travelling. Their interests would include art or maybe collecting rare objects for their collection.
References
Bourdieu, P. (2018). The forms of capital. In The Sociology of Economic Life (pp. 78-92). Routledge.
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Question
Two concepts associated with the postmodern sociologist Pierre Bourdieu include cultural capital and social capital. Cultural capital refers to noneconomic goods, such as family background and education, often reflected in a knowledge of language and the arts. Social capital refers to the collective benefit of social networks. Read the section of the chapter that discusses these concepts (pg. 12), think carefully about each of the concepts, and analyze the following situation:
Ted grew up in a working-class family. His father was a plumber, and his mother was a homemaker. Ted won 50 million dollars in the lottery and moved to a neighbourhood with multi-million dollar homes. Ted soon realized he was the only person in his neighbourhood who won the lottery. His neighbours grew up very rich and used to the millionaire lifestyle. Ted, on the other hand, was used to a more working-class lifestyle. Because of his upbringing, he found it difficult to connect with his neighbours on a social level even though he had as much money as they did and, in some cases, even more. What cultural and social capital differences might Ted have compared to his neighbours? What kinds of hobbies and interests might Ted have? What types of hobbies and interests might Ted’s neighbours have that he doesn’t have?
Post a response with a minimum of 250 words.