PIERRE BOURDIEU
Cultural Reproduction and Social
Reproduction
Reading Research Seminar
Prafulla Kumar Nath (f1502)
Cultural and Social Reproduction
• Cultural reproduction refers to the mechanisms by which
continuity of cultural experience is sustained across time.
Cultural reproduction often results in social reproduction,
or the process of transferring aspects of society from
generation to generation
• Groups of people, notably social classes, act to reproduce
the existing social structure to preserve their advantage
• The processes of schooling in modern societies are among
the main mechanisms of cultural reproduction, and do not
operate solely through what is taught in courses of formal
instruction
The Role of the Educational System in the Reproduction
of the Structure and distribution of CC
• It contributes through an educational system to the structure
of power and symbolic relationship b/n classes
• It contributes to the reproduction of structure of the
distribution of cultural capital among these classes
• To understand the process of intra and intergenerational
mobility we need to study the mechanism which ensures the
reproduction of structure of relation b/n classes
Cultural Capital
Economic Capital Social Capital
Mechanism of Cultural Reproduction
• Routine mechanism of transmitting culture from generation to
generation – Durkheim call it conservation of culture.
• Pedagogic action in school(other institutions) and families of
different social class work together to transmit cultural heritage
• Structure of distribution of class-3 Classes: Lower, intermediate and
higher position
• Cultural expenditure: Agri worker-traders, farmer- professional
• Cultural activity: buying & reading book, theatre- skewed heavily
• Cultural Capital is also skewed towards higher level of edn. Annual
visit of French museum
Building Structure
• To create a structure- production of habitus,
system of disposition which acts as mediation
between structure and practice
• To study the law that determine tendency of
structure to reproduce themselves
• Educational institutions contribute to the
structural dynamism of class relation
Concept Capital & Habitus
• Habitus: identity, action, choices. In other sense it
is also combination of resources(capital)
• Capital: economic, cultural, social, symbolic
• Student from middle class is more likely to
succeed in edn(accumulate more CC) , student
from working class will not
• Forms of CC
Embodied state: Form of knowledge that resides within us
Objectified state: Material objects indicate our social class
Institutionalized state: The way society measure CC
Cultural Capital
• Habitus are the resources, the combination of the
amount and type of capital the individual have. Capital
may be economic, social (network), cultural
• Cultural capital- is the cultural knowledge that serves
as currency that helps us to navigate culture and helps
to alter our exp and opportunity. Symbolic elements-
tastes, manners, skills & credentials
• It is not only about money but can be exchanged for
money and will help to earn more cul capital- it can be
source of inequality(ex. Poor boy lands in low-pay job)
• Lower class- less cultural capital, higher class higher
cultural capital, hence class dominance of culture
The Structure of Distribution of CC
• Statistics of theatre, concert , museum reminds
that inheritance of cultural capital accumulated
by previous generation only pass to the group
who is endowed with the means
• Cultural capital/ symbolic goods – its
appropriation and instruments of appropriation
• The structure of distribution of cultural capital
depend upon the structure of distribution of
instrument of appropriation
General Law of Cultural Reproduction
• Appropriation of proposed culture depend upon
previous possession of appropriation instrument (given
through pedagogy & family)
• Instrument indispensible for success- distributed among
the children of diff classes unequally
• Edn-system depend upon pedagogy initial familiarity with
dominant culture-linguistic & cultural competence
(family upbringing)
• Instrument of appropriation – under the monopoly of
upper classes
Law of the Educational Market
• Hierarchy of Edu-establishments, section & field of study
• Edu-market – economic market and marriage
market(knowledge, know how ,style of being, speaking
matters-legtimised by education system)
• Edu system converts social hierarchy into academic
hierarchy. Institutions legitimate access to the ruling class
• Readiness to invest- time and resource: redouble the
economic and symbolic effect on the uneven distribution
of CC
• The investment is a strategy of reproduction- each
generation transmits the advantage it holds to the next
Findings of the study
• Reading habit, occupational category, and
level of education- crucial for cul-capital
• Professional(head of industry, commerce) who
occupied high positions, the distribution of
economic capital tilted to them, but in the
distribution of cultural capital teachers, civil
servants, teachers have larger share.
Conclusion
• Workers and agri-labour access to education low, professional and
teachers is high
• Among the ruling class craftsman, technician, trader(low), professional,
teacher, engineer(high)
• Exception: head of industry and com are placed higher, but access to
higher edn is low (low CC)
• Academic system works objectively towards the reproduction of structure
of relation among the sections of class
• Academic success directly related to CC & inclination to invest in Edu-
market
• Same academic qualification function differently with different CC and EC
