Are there Different forms of Capital?

Hi Marielle,

My suggestion is not necessarily what Bourdieu had missed, but another important aspect to his concept of cultural/economic capital shaping identity. Within the social spaces, there is room for individuals to live as long as they follow the written and unwritten rules (the term he uses to describe this is doxa). Within these spaces, he argues individuals have the ability to fight for power. Thus, since individuals fight for power within these social spaces, one could argue there is opportunity to create identity. Although I would argue not individual identity, but a group identity. Those who are able to achieve power within social spaces can form different classes with different contexts. For example, if a group of people within a social space achieve economic power, an upper class can form.

Your mention about how individuals can create identity makes me think of the argument for structure verses agency in the context of Bordieu's theory. I always think of cultural capital in terms of the occupation one has. Occupation is often related to one's cultural capital. For example, buisnessmen sometimes go golfing and this taste in sport is reflective of their high status in society. So if we can choose our profession, for example, by choosing what we study in university, is this a way that individuals can have the agency to create their own identity? And also obtain a certain level of cultural capital? Any thoughts of whether this works in real life?

Nicole, I think you have brought up very interesting questions, particularly in the application to the contemporary life as you suggest. Though the resources that give agency, especially in achieving a profession through university studies, are available to all, it is arguable how equally and readily the availability is. It is challenging with the barriers of entry into university for the lower class youths. Universities continue to become more expensive and exclusive, particularly in North America. These standards exclude many from further acquiring both cultural capital and economic capital. Consequences of exercising this form of agency is often being left with large student loans and debt, which delays life milestones. Students financially supported by their families do not have these loans, which gives them an advantage even though the education process of a degree is the same to all students. To a certain extent this is the unequal opportunities offered to higher status students that have a parent or such paying for tuition and expenses, as Nayantara had suggested earlier.

I agree that education, in contemporary societies, could offer agency for one to creat his own identity, it is arguable about how equally though. I think cultural capital is not only affected by one's education attainment, but also his/her social relations. We have all filled out the question "Do you have family members attend UBC before?" when we applied for universities, and it is quite true that if one has parents/siblings at same university, they would be more likely to be admitted. Even after one enters universities, his social network also plays an important role in his study and work - whether he/she knows some big people, if one is popular he/she might have more news on all kinds of opportunities etc. Gradually, people who are able to achieve power within the social spaces form their own classes with different contexts, and excludes others to attain the cultural capital and economic capital.

Although individuals can created their new identity, the identities that they already have largely force them to perform in certain ways. People with similar identities often have shared aspects, and they tend to live together and do similar routine activities. For example, if people with weak social and economic capitals are living in the same area, the residential segregation could concentrate poverty and give rise to neighbourhoods of low quality. There would be no resources and opportunities for them to move up the ladder.