Social and Cultural Reproduction Social and Cultural Capital

Social and Cultural Reproduction

Social and Cultural Capital Pierre Bourdieu Cultural reproduction theory “individual and family cultural resources constitute a non-material form of capital which should be regarded on equal terms as economic resources and gainful social networks. According to Bourdieu's theory of cultural reproduction, children from middle-class families are advantaged in gaining educational credentials due to their possession of cultural capital.

� � � Used to describe how socioeconomic status, ethnic background, cultural knowledge, traits and behaviors affect education and success in an educational setting. Knowledge of the norms and codes of the dominant culture Bourdieu’s theory of cultural reproduction; � � � Parents possess cultural capital and they transmit this to their children (time and effort required) Cultural capital provides children with resources (parents reading habits and choice of books) Material resources in the home (computer, books, desk) Types of experiences, social interactions and communication passes from parent to child. Use cultural capital within the system to promote success for children.

Social and Cultural Reproduction what we buy, what we eat, when and how we share a meal, what we do in our communities, (interactions with neighbors) how we spend our time (sports, dance, music lessons, cultural schools…), what we celebrate, how we celebrate, what kinds of clothes we wear, what kind of clothes we would not wear, services we will pay for (child care, home repair, car repair, salon… What we will not pay for (we will do ourselves), what jobs or careers we will have, what kind of home we will have, what neighborhoods we will live in, how we take care of each other (sick, elderly), where we travel, if we travel, More formal - Religion, language, education, post-secondary education, social groups The work of socialization; creating belonging and group identification – how the old ensure that the young become the old.

Bourdieu and Passeron 1990 “Two mechanisms explain why cultural capital promotes social reproduction. First, cultural capital, that is, familiarity with dominant high-status cultural signals or the “rules of the game” is intrinsically valorized in the field of education. This means, holding constant socioeconomic background academic ability, that possessing much cultural capital increases the likelihood of receiving preferential treatment by teachers, getting higher grades and generally performing better in the educational system. Second, children from culturally advantaged backgrounds have more cultural capital than children from less advantaged backgrounds and they are thus better equipped to understand the “rules of the game”.

The Welfare State A policy framework in which governments, rather than individuals, families, or other social agencies, are responsible for ensuring the economic security, physical and social well-being of all citizens, including a network of government institutions organized to carry out major social and development functions. Wotherspoon, 76 Including; health care, housing, education, community support centers, income

Government involved in protecting and promoting economic well being, Equality of opportunity and distribution of wealth, Involves transfer payments directly to individuals as well as support services,

Reforms Calls for a complete restructuring (to include adult-benefits)

Working towards equality What programs and supports are in place in your school to promote equality? What is the intent of the program? Who benefits? How is success measured?

http: //elschools. org/student-work/z-book-homelessness