September 6, 2025
Sociology 160
Professor Bakehorn
Cultural capital, as Bourdieu explains, refers to resources that aren’t strictly financial
(like money) or social (like networking) but still carry value in shaping people’s opportunities
and social standing. (Bourdieu 1986; 17) This includes three subdivisions that ask “Who are
you?” (embodied capital), “What do you own?”(objectified capital), and “What does paper say
about you?”(institutionalized capital). The premise of the embodiment of cultural capital is
housed within your mind and body—including skill, knowledge, personality traits, personal
style, taste, etc. It is like a slow-cooked roast, tenderized with time and effort. Because of this,
early development is favorable for success. You cannot hire someone to develop this for you,
though you can be influenced by others. I find this particularly fascinating because as my
generation seeks to find their true identities, there seems to be an epidemic of imitation because
of ease, similar to eating at fast food restaurants for convenience. The next category is objectified
cultural capital, which includes material items like books, instruments, and the default language
on your phone’s keyboard. However, it cannot exist without the embodiment of cultural capital
which serves as context. A phone with a Mandarin Chinese keyboard is virtually useless unless
you know how to speak and understand Mandarin Chinese. That developed skill is the
embodiment of inherent or cultural values that made you prioritize that language. Finally, the
institutionalized cultural capital is a format of legitimacy regarding your objectified or
embodiment of cultural capital. This can be a university education or a certification of sorts.
Essentially, it is a testament to your abilities that can then be converted into economic capital.
Zooming in on the embodiment of cultural capital is a caveat called habitus. It
acknowledges the predisposed assumptions we carry within us. For example, my mom has
driven middle class luxurious cars my entire life, therefore I am predisposed to want a similar car
when I get older, ignoring most car options that are seen as”cheaper”. On that same note, I am
naturally inclined to favor nicer things because it was something constantly reaffirmed in my
childhood, making anything less seem like a “downgrade” or unfamiliar. All of the different
forms of cultural capital are important because it helps us better understand the stark differences
people have when operating in a world that favors the rich, educated, and wealthy. It shows the
advantages of being taught things when you're young to develop and more natural development
of skill (like learning how to build a resumé as a freshman in highschool so you look for résumé
building activities during your highschool career opposed to after highschool graduation.) It
shows the blatantly unlevel playing ground we are often forced to participate in and shows us
that we must build our forms of capital and work to set our children up to obtain multiple forms
of capital as early as possible.