essay study key concepts

Question 1

What is habitus and how does it relate to sport?

Answer 1

Habitus refers to the internalised dispositions shaped by one’s early environment, guiding preferences and behaviours. In sport, it explains why certain sports feel “natural” to specific classes (e.g. rugby for working-class, polo for upper-class).

Question 2

How does rugby reflect habitus in New Zealand?

Answer 2

Rugby feels instinctive and embedded in working-class culture in NZ because of its national popularity.

Question 3

What is capital in Bourdieu’s theory?

Answer 3

Capital goes beyond money — it includes economic, cultural, social, and symbolic forms of power.

Question 4

What is cultural capital in sport?

Answer 4

Knowledge of etiquette, rules, and technique needed to access and succeed in sports like golf or tennis.

Question 5

What is symbolic capital in sport?

Answer 5

Prestige and recognition — for example, the All Blacks have immense symbolic capital in Aotearoa.