Field theory in cultural capital studies of educational attainment

Troels Krarup (1) , Martin D. Munk (2)

1 Sciences Po - Sciences Po
2 AAU - Aalborg University [Denmark]

This article argues that there is a double problem in international research in cultural capital and educational attainment: an empirical problem, since few new insights have been gained within recent years; and a theoretical problem, since cultural capital is seen as a simple hypothesis about certain isolated individual resources, disregarding the structural vision and important related concepts such as field in Bourdieu’s sociology. We (re-)emphasize the role of field theory in cultural capital research in education, taking into consideration current concerns in international quantitative research.

Mots clés: Bourdieu; Cultural capital; Field theory; Educational attainment

Domaines: Sociologie

Troels Krarup, Martin D. Munk. Field theory in cultural capital studies of educational attainment. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 2014, pp.1 - 19. ⟨hal-01295802v1⟩