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Article: Prep school and public school graduates of Harvard: a longitudinal study of the accumulation of social and cultural capital. (Harvard University)
- Article from:
- Journal of Higher Education
- Article date:
- March 1, 1993
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 Ohio State University Press. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu |4, 5~ has developed what he calls a theory of "social reproduction." In his view, those in power do not merely pass on their material wealth, or economic capital, to their offspring (though they do this), they also try to assure that their children acquire what he calls "cultural capital" and "social capital." Cultural capital consists of various forms of knowledge, dispositions, and skills. For instance, in a society that has very few literate members, knowing how to read and write gives one an enormous advantage over those who are illiterate |5~. Similarly, in a culture that depends increasingly on computers, those with early training ...