The concept and its three forms
Bourdieu argued that social position depends not only on money (economic capital) but also on connections (social capital) and cultural capital. In his 1986 essay The Forms of Capital he distinguished three forms. Embodied cultural capital consists of long-ingrained dispositions such as accent, knowledge and the ability to appreciate art; it is passed on through family socialization and is closely tied to habitus. Objectified cultural capital exists in things such as books, paintings and instruments. Institutionalized cultural capital is officially certified, as in degrees and diplomas. The forms of capital can be converted into one another, and because cultural capital looks like individual talent, Bourdieu argued, it lends legitimacy to inequality.
Schooling and class reproduction
In The Inheritors (1964) and Reproduction (1970), Bourdieu and Jean-Claude Passeron argued that schools appear to judge merit neutrally but actually reward the language and cultivation of upper-class homes, favoring students who inherit that culture. Distinction (1979) used large surveys to show that tastes in music, food and sport divide systematically by class and serve to mark status. The argument is a conflict-theory challenge to the functionalist view that schools sort people by ability, and it resonates with the emphasis on family background in the U.S. Coleman Report (1966).
Research and criticism
Paul DiMaggio (1982) found that U.S. high school students' participation in arts and culture was associated with their grades, and Annette Lareau (2003) showed how middle-class concerted cultivation and working-class accomplishment of natural growth give children different skills for dealing with institutions. Michèle Lamont and Lareau (1988) criticized the concept as loosely defined, and Richard Peterson and Roger Kern (1996) reported that today's elites are cultural omnivores who sample many genres rather than only highbrow ones. The 2013 Great British Class Survey measured economic, social and cultural capital together to propose a new class model. The concept is now widely used alongside credential signaling and social stratification research in debates over education, consumption and cultural policy.
FAQ
- How is cultural capital different from social capital?
- Cultural capital consists of cultural resources such as knowledge, tastes and degrees; social capital comes from networks and group membership. Bourdieu held that both can be converted into economic capital.
- Can cultural capital be bought?
- Objectified cultural capital such as books or paintings can be bought, but Bourdieu argued that the embodied ability to understand and enjoy them requires long learning and socialization and cannot be purchased outright.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26
References
- Bourdieu, P., & Passeron, J.-C. (1964). Les héritiers: les étudiants et la culture. Paris: Minuit.
- Coleman, J. S., et al. (1966). Equality of Educational Opportunity. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
- Bourdieu, P., & Passeron, J.-C. (1970). La reproduction: éléments pour une théorie du système d'enseignement. Paris: Minuit.
- Bourdieu, P. (1979). La distinction: critique sociale du jugement. Paris: Minuit.
- DiMaggio, P. (1982). Cultural capital and school success: The impact of status culture participation on the grades of U.S. high school students. American Sociological Review, 47(2), 189–201.
- Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education (pp. 241–258). New York: Greenwood.
- Lamont, M., & Lareau, A. (1988). Cultural capital: Allusions, gaps and glissandos in recent theoretical developments. Sociological Theory, 6(2), 153–168.
- Peterson, R. A., & Kern, R. M. (1996). Changing highbrow taste: From snob to omnivore. American Sociological Review, 61(5), 900–907.
- Lareau, A. (2003). Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life. Berkeley: University of California Press.
- Savage, M., et al. (2013). A new model of social class? Findings from the BBC's Great British Class Survey experiment. Sociology, 47(2), 219–250.