Suchergebnisse

ABSTRACTAlthough sociological research has examined the reproduction of Chile's elites, there is little empirical evidence of how different forms of capital operate among them. Using datasets for members of the Chilean political elite from 1990 to 2010, this country note examines and measures the effect of political, social, and cultural capital on the access of certain individuals to strategic positions in the political field, comparing the legislative and executive branches as represented by deputies and ministers. The empirical analysis includes logit models.

Bourdieu's theory of cultural reproduction has been interpreted in various ways, and several authors have criticised an overly narrow interpretation of cultural capital as simply consisting of 'beaux arts' participation. For researchers, this raises the challenge of developing a broader interpretation of cultural capital which is still specific enough to be operationalised. This paper discusses the ways in which parents may transmit educational advantage to their children through cultural rather than economic means, and the forms of knowledge and skill which may be considered as 'cultural capital'. An operationalisation of cultural knowledge is discussed, and empirical evidence is presented on differences in levels of cultural knowledge between the children of graduates and non-graduates.

Cultural capital is assumed to benefit all members of society. It is built up by the aggregate consumption of cultural goods and is diminished through depreciation. In the no-policy market economy, consumers tend to ignore the beneficial external effects of their cultural good consumption on the other consumers (and on themselves) through augmenting cultural capital. Cultural goods will be less consumed and, as a result, cultural capital will be underprovided. The efficient allocation is shown to be restored by an appropriate subsidy on cultural goods that stimulates the consumers´ demand for cultural goods and thus promotes the accumulation of cultural capital.

Paper prepared for the workshop Collapsing Cultural Canons: Elite Culture, Popular Culture, and Politics in Late Modernity Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Marseille, France, October 28-29, 2004

Cultural capital is usually defined as set of social features that provide individuals with social mobility and the possibility of changing their hierarchical position in systems such as wealth, power, prestige, education, and health. Cultural capital thus affects the processes of social promotion or degradation. It also includes social characteristics that allow horizontal mobility, that is, changes in social group membership. An individual's cultural capital includes his or her social origin, education, taste, lifestyle, style of speech, and dress.

"This book systematically addresses Bourdieu's key ideas and concepts in the context of Marxist thought. In this book, Bourdieu's central theoretical points are analyzed within a political, sociological and politico-economic framework which allows for the development of a sequential narrative of his key ideas. Thus, the authors are able to highlight the theoretical consistencies and political conclusions which can be derived from Bourdieu's work. For example, Bourdieu's anti-neoliberal narrative is correlated with his analysis of class, and especially with his canonization of the petty bourgeoisie and its strategy for a reformed anti-neoliberal capitalism. The book also analyses this coherent synthesis of Bourdieu's work in the context of Marxist political economy, including not only Marx but also Lenin, Althusser and Poulantzas. In this context, the book explores Bourdieu's work on the state, class strategy, socialism and capitalism. This unique perspective will be of great interest to social scientists, particularly in economics, politics and sociology, working on Bourdieu, Marx and capitalism"--

This article focuses on problems with correlating a value system to human activity. The author approaches analyzing this issue in terms of cultural capital. Subject to examination is the key component of social order, which can be described as "developing relations of the highest and lowest order", as orientation towards oneself of one's community in a social group or network. This work attempts to define what social capital consists of in terms of privileged and legitimized cultural practices. Presumably a culture of common values bears self-worth if it can be materialized within the boundaries of various types of relations. This allows for predicting trends of change in interpersonal relationships, by means of generalizing the results and conducting comparative analysis. Highlighted is the fact that such analysis makes sense if it were to be conducted in terms of cultural capital. As such, a special role is assigned to cultural competence. The ability and/or skills in practically using cultural achievements under certain conditions, with the goal of converting them into other types of capital later down the line, are especially valuable. Also noted is the fact that an understanding of cultural capital, as well as its transformations, is vital for analyzing actual practices which reflect the processes of the "achievements, approval or rejection, reproduction or transformation" dynamic. The author confirms the conclusion which had already been drawn by foreign scientists who are well-known in this field of knowledge, namely that there exists a certain pattern: either society brings forth specific channels for the flow of class cultures with their impenetrable boundaries, their peculiar and somewhat autonomous standards of purpose (of taste), or a dilution of class distinctions occurs. This inevitably has an effect on the decline of the role of cultural capital, and therefore on belonging to the elite. A hypothesis is brought forth about the need to define a person's place within social networks, their affiliation with those who are typically considered to be members of "exclusive cultures". Otherwise a connection to such networks implies the "lowest level of cultural competence" and an unfavorable place in the social hierarchy.