External Factors - Cultural Capital

Question 1

sociologist behind cultural capital

Answer 1

Bourdieu

Question 2

what is cultural capital

Answer 2

It refers to a person’s social assets which allow them to achieve high status in society. It is not about wealth but these things can help one earn more - this leads to social inequality within society as the working class have less cultural capital then MC people

Question 3

sources of cultural capital

Answer 3

Embodied State - knowledge within us like language
Objectified State - Objects which indicate our social class e.g iPhone 13 v Samsung J3
Institutionalised State - how society measures social capital e.g Alevels + Degree = success

Question 4

who tested Cultural capital

Answer 4

Sullivan

Question 5

how did Sullivan carry out her test of cultural capital

Answer 5

She sent out questionnaires to 465 pupils in 4 different schools and asked them questions about their reading and Tv habits. She also asked whether they visited art galleries, museums and theatres. Vocabulary and knowledge of cultural figures was also tested

Question 6

what did Sullivan find from test

Answer 6

She found that those who read complex fiction and watched serious TV documentaries developed a wider vocabulary and greater cultural knowledge, this indicated greater cultural capital and they tended to be offsprings of graduates and were more likely to get GCSEs

Question 7

what happened with Sullivan’s test when MC and WC students had the same level of cultural capital

Answer 7

when MC and WC students had the same level of cultural capital, the MC students still did better - this was due to the middle class possessing more economic capital so both economic and cultural capital was converted into educational capital