From: BoPaulle-AT-aol.com
Date: Sun, 29 Nov 1998 15:43:19 EST
Subject: Re: symbolic vs. cultural


Rhonda Rubin asked me to elaborate on 1) skills related to cultural capital
2) "an arms distance from necessity" and 3) the transferability of capitals.

i am by no means an authority, but it seems to me that B.'s notion of cultural
capital has to do with objectively valuable skills.  Clearly the skills of the
economist are of no use in a boxing ring.  In general, there is such a thing
as social mobility and cutltural capital plays a huge role in B."s conceptual
framework in terms of distributing or anchoring people to positions in social
space (i.e. class hierarchy).  the most obvious example of this is the fact
that children from a "good" home, where parents tend to be educated and vebal,
tend to have huge advantages over kids who grow up without being an arms
distance from necessity.  On the issue of transferability: the professional
parents who immerse their kids in a world that seems natural to them (piano
lessons, hourseback riding, the "best" schools) are in effect, giving their
children cultural capital which will (aside from social capital and money)
help them into a position in society is often well paid and full of social
connections.
hope i'm being a little more clear - if not thet best introduction is bourdieu
and loic wacquant -Introduction to Reflexive Sociology-
b. paulle
  
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