Bourdieu Social Capital Analysis

It is evident that young people’s experiences in second level education is moulded by the various capital forms. Bourdieu highlights four different types of capital- economic capital, cultural capital, social capital and symbolic capital. Cultural capital, social capital and emotional capital will be discussed in detail throughout this essay. Although Bourdieu doesn’t mention emotional capital he gives us a clear understanding of the other forms of capital and how they are interlinked. Bourdieu contemplates a process which one form of capital can be transformed into another’ (Bourdieu, 1986). Economic capital can be converted into cultural and then cultural mutates into social. When one thinks of the idea of capital, it can be compared to a

This is the connections the adolescent or their parents have socially, mainly composed of social networks the ‘who you know’ and the family’s reputation. ‘A reputation is what somebody makes of themselves really and basically if somebody gossips about them their reputation is down the drain’ (Green & Singleton, 2006). The amount of social capital can enhance the child’s social life as they interact with others outside of school. Class can affect the social capital as many parents cannot afford to have their children involved in extracurricular activities outside of school and this highlights the link between economic and social capital.

From my own experience with social capital, it can cause exclusion as other peers who are not socially involved in the particular activity may feel left out and that they can’t contribute to the school. For example, in second level schools in Ireland there is a huge emphasis put on GAA and sport and they tend to praise the GAA players and depending on the adolescent’s connections with GAA outside of school, in some cases, this determines their place on the school

personality, traditions. The embodied state can influence experiences at school as it has an impact on how the child behaves around others e.g. sharing, interacting and how the child behaves in class when working e.g. working together and manners. This type of cultural capital is referred to as being “inherited” through socializing with the family as it is passed onto the child, it moulds the adolescent’s character ‘work on oneself, an investment, above all of time but also of socially constituted time’ (Bourdieu, 1986). The objectified state are materialistic things such as the clothes we wear, books, art etc. In second level, the objectified state has a huge influence as it externally shows ones personality and this forms people’s first impressions. This particular type of capital can be perceived as having an impact on how the adolescent is treated e.g. bullying, teasing or people’s opinions of them. The Institutionalised state emphasises qualifications and education. Interpreted in a way that the more educated one is the more power they have. Middle class parents view education as an essential infrastructure for the adolescent’s success. ‘The existence of network of connections is not a natural given its constituted by an initial act of institution, represented in the case of family or group’ (Bourdieu, 1986). In my opinion, I feel