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cultural capital

Definition of Cultural Capital

(noun) The distinctions that develop between individuals and groups due to differences in access to education, family background, occupation, and wealth, giving them advantages and serving as a signifier of an individual’s status within a group or society.

Example of Cultural Capital

Cultural Capital Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: cul·tur·al cap·i·tal

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /kUHl-chuhr-ruhl kAp-uht-l/
  • British English – /kUHl-chuh-ruhl kAp-itl/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /ˈkʌlʧərəl ˈkæpətəl/
  • British English – /ˈkʌlʧərəl ˈkæpɪtl/

Usage Notes

  • Plural: cultural capitals
  • Term coined by Pierre Bourdieu (1930–2002), who emphasized that cultural capital is taught through socialization and used to exclude the lower classes.
  • Cultural capital can be converted to other kinds of capital such as social capital.
  • Statuses an individual can be born with or attain can be considered cultural capital.
  • Also called cultural capital theory.

Related Videos

Related Quotations

  • “All groups have norms, values, beliefs, ways of life, and codes of conduct that identify the group and define its boundaries” (McNamee and Miller 2013:58).
  • “Class boundaries are also maintained by language, speech patterns, and pronunciation. Members of the upper class speak more directly and in a more assured manner than do members of the working and lower classes. Their confident demeanor, in turn, enables upper- and upper-middle-class speakers to project images of credibility, honesty, and competence that are important in all social arenas—especially the workplace” (Thompson and Hickey 2012:221).

Additional Information

Related Terms

References

McNamee, Stephen J., and Robert K. Miller, Jr. 2013. The Meritocracy Myth. 3rd ed. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Thompson, William E., and Joseph V. Hickey. 2012. Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Works Consulted

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Cite the Definition of Cultural Capital

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “cultural capital.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved December 2, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/cultural-capital/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

cultural capital. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/cultural-capital/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “cultural capital.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed December 2, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/cultural-capital/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“cultural capital.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 2 Dec. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/cultural-capital/>.