SOC2HEW Bourdieu’s Forms of Capital Essay

Introduction

This essay sets to explore different forms of capital as outlined by Bourdieu’s theory of capital. Each form of capital is then linked to their respective significance for the students who are transitioning into work life. The discussion entails that how the different forms of capital need to be understood by the new professionals so that they can achieve a higher social position within the society.

Discussion

Bourdieu’s presented a theory called the theory of capital (Bourdieu, 2018). So it is important to first dissect the term capital. Capital is a currency that buys you a higher position in society (Bourdieu, 2018). It is the foundation of social life and it is what decides one’s role in the social world (Bourdieu, 2018). Capital is the result of labor and over time the amount of capital one can accumulate increases (Bourdieu, 2018). Therefore, it is important for students transitioning into the professional world to understand the nuances of capital and its different forms so that they can increase their social position within society. However, not all labor for example forms of capital is equal. The more time one spends accumulating a form of capital the more valuable the capital is. There are four main types of capital.

The first major type is cultural capital (Bennett & Silva, 2011). It is basically what you have and what you know (Bennett & Silva, 2011). Bourdieu divided cultural capital into three sub-types. These three types are embodied, objectified and institutionalized cultural capital. Embodied cultural capital pertains to the qualities of one’s mind or body (Cederberg, 2015). These include the skills that one possesses, accent, dialect, posture and mannerism (Jæger & Breen, 2016). Embodied cultural capital also includes one’s taste, taste in music or art (Jæger & Breen, 2016). Embodied cultural capital is important to understand for the students transitioning into work-life because more powerful social classes tend to differentiate themselves from others by how they look and behave. Therefore, one needs to essentially buy membership into these social classes with embodied social capital. For example in the UK people with Received Pronunciation, in other words, a posh accent traditionally has higher social prestige because that accent is associated with power, money and influence (Block, 2015). The students transitioning into work need to know that their mannerisms and their looks or in other words embodied cultural capital needs to be given due importance when they enter the professional life so that they can become influential individuals within their workspace. Moreover, the new professionals should keep on working on their skill set to enhance their already acquired skills during their period of study, which would ultimately increase their embodied cultural capital.  

The next sub-type of cultural capital is objectified cultural capital. Objectified cultural capital comprises one’s material belongings that have cultural significance (Tittenbrun, 2016). For example, a luxurious car such as Rolls Royce usually gives one a lot of objectified cultural capital in society. However, this varies across societies and cultures. Something might have higher objectified cultural significance in one area or region while might not have the same significance in other parts of the world. The students who are going to start their work should be aware of the cultural context of their work so that over time they acquire the right material belongings that would bring additional cultural capital. Choosing the right material belongings that they carry to work could simply amplify their social position at work apart from just their skillset and competencies.

Finally is the institutionalized cultural capital. Institutionalized cultural capital is a symbol of cultural competence and authority (Claussen & Osborne, 2013). This refers to things like credentials and qualifications (Jæger & Breen, 2016). Even seemingly small things such as the title doctor can give one a large amount of institutionalized cultural capital. University degrees are a powerful form of institutionalized cultural capital, thus this form of capital is highly relevant to a student transitioning into work life (Claussen & Osborne, 2013). Going to universities gives one thing like skills, which is a type of embodied cultural capital, but this is not the only benefit of going to the university. A university degree does add to your capital no matter where one went and how he/she got their degree. However, the more prestigious of a university one went to, the more institutionalized capital one receives. The students should be aware of this form of capital so that they can enhance their social position based on already acquired credentials and qualifications in their workplaces. Moreover, they should also know the importance of these credentials and qualifications so that they upgrade them over time to continually stay relevant and respected within the work community.  It is important to note that when someone shares cultural capital with others they tend to have a feeling of collective identity. This is particularly important for the professionals who are alumni of the same university (Brown et al., 2016). These professionals have the same qualifications and a similar educational experience which helps them have a collective identity (Brown et al., 2016). 

This collective identity helps to consolidate new professionals’ position within the work dynamics as they hardly know anyone when they initially enter the workspace. So this collective identity helps the new professionals easily assimilate within the work culture and can earn respect based on the cultural capital of alumni of the same university who have been working within the organization or industry.  

The next important form of capital is social capital. Social capital pertains to who you know (Lin, 2017). The amount of social capital depends on one’s network (Lin, 2017). One gains social capital in two different ways. One way is by getting connected to a huge number of people. The other way is to get connected with few people who have high capital, in other words connecting with a smaller amount of people who have higher power. Basically, one’s social relationships give one the social capital. There are two ways in which this occurs. First of all through the relationships that one makes in their own lives. These relationships are enacted, maintained and reinforced through exchanges like gift exchanges on special occasions (Dolfsma, Van der Eijk & Jolink, 2009). There is a second way to build one’s social capital, and it corresponds to the relationships one inherits (Lee & Brinton, 1996). One example of this social capital is when one graduates from the same university as someone else (Lee & Brinton, 1996). Social capital is important because of several aspects. The first aspect is that groups share their capital and it becomes collective capital. This means that when someone joins a group he/she gains access to collective capital, which ultimately increases one’s overall capital and social power.  If one has high social capital then others want to have the person in their social group so that their social capital is increased. The new professionals should understand the importance of this form of capital because the right connections and people within one’s network can be a source of many boons. Therefore, it is important for students transitioning into work to effectively maintain relationships and build new connections to increase their overall social position.

The third form of capital according to Bourdieu is the economic capital. Economic capital comprises money and assets that can be immediately or directly be converted into money (Pinxten & Lievens, 2014). Economic capital is considered the most important species of capital in the social world. This is primarily because of the fact that economic capital can be easily converted into other forms of capital over time. Economic capital can be immediately used to build more connections, acquire more refined taste in arts; amplify their credentials and skillset, etc. New professionals should understand the importance of economic capital and its ability to transform into other forms of capital so that they can use the income they acquire from their jobs to positively add to their pre-existing capital.   

Symbolic capital is the fourth form of capital. This form of capital corresponds to the amount of prestige one possesses (Bourdieu & Wacquant, 2013). The prestige could be referred to as reputation for competence and an image of respectability and honorability. This form of capital does not exist at the same level as the other forms of capital instead it is a value that indicates the recognition, therefore, the legitimization of the other forms of capital (Bourdieu & Wacquant, 2013). This is important because capital only truly elevates one’s social status if it is recognized, and recognition comes in the form of symbolic capital (Bourdieu & Wacquant, 2013).

An important concept in regards to forms of capital is the cycle of capital. The cycle of capital is the process that underpins every society and involves majorly two steps. One is capital being transferred from one person to another. The other one pertains to the conversion of one form of capital to the other. Social capital can be used to obtain economic capital, which can further be invested in cultural capital, which ultimately leads one to increase social capital. This can be explained by the example that one gets a paid job through social connections in the form of referrals. This shows that social capital is converted into economic capital through their income from the job. Once the person has the income, he/she might use this to get a nice car which would increase their objectified cultural capital. He/she might use the money from the job to get some sort of professional certification which would further increase their institutionalized cultural capital. The person then can use their increased objectified and institutionalized capital to socialize with more people, thus resulting in increased social capital.

Conclusion

Since jobs are part of a larger social structure and context of the society therefore different forms of capital play a pivotal role in ascertaining one’s position. It is highly significant for students transitioning into professional life to understand the nuanced aspects of different forms of capital to effectively improve their social position and influence within society. New professionals should understand and give due importance to each form of capital to survive within the competitive work environments. One who understands the different forms of capital can positively work towards increasing each type of capital and converting one capital into another over time. The deliberate considerations in this regard can help the new professionals excel in their careers while becoming respectable figures in their workplace.