French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu found that there are certain qualities that are taken for granted by those who have them and are seemingly unattainable to those who do not. For example, some children know to raise their hand often in class and some do not, or lack the confidence to do so. The difference between these children is internal and hidden; the first child has qualities the second child does not. Bourdieu states that the difference is found in the first child’s possession of embodied cultural capital (Bourdieu 1986: 48). Embodied cultural capital is an accumulation of social skills and knowledge that helps a person fail or succeed in the dominating culture (Bourdieu 1986: 48). Children who possess embodied cultural capital thrive in school with invisible knowledge and skills that set them apart as “gifted” while those without these skills will struggle (Bourdieu 1986: 48).
Embodied cultural capital is passed on from parents to children, but not through genetics. Instead, time needs to be invested by both the child and the parents through years of purposeful child rearing (Bourdieu 1986: 48). The parents who have embodied cultural capital pass on body language, behaviors, and decision making skills that help their child navigate the dominant culture successfully (Bourdieu 1986: 48). This gives these children an advantage; however, …show more content…
This resulted in middle class children feeling like they deserved special privileges (Lareau 2002: 749). They were more likely to speak up against rules they saw as unfair and expect the world around them to accommodate their preferences (Lareau 2002: 770). As a result, middle class children were able to get more out of their education because they knew how to play the system in a way that working/poor class children did not (Lareau 2002:
Embodied cultural capital is passed on from parents to children, but not through genetics. Instead, time needs to be invested by both the child and the parents through years of purposeful child rearing (Bourdieu 1986: 48). The parents who have embodied cultural capital pass on body language, behaviors, and decision making skills that help their child navigate the dominant culture successfully (Bourdieu 1986: 48). This gives these children an advantage; however, …show more content…
This resulted in middle class children feeling like they deserved special privileges (Lareau 2002: 749). They were more likely to speak up against rules they saw as unfair and expect the world around them to accommodate their preferences (Lareau 2002: 770). As a result, middle class children were able to get more out of their education because they knew how to play the system in a way that working/poor class children did not (Lareau 2002: