Question

Articles by Peter Callero (and Margaret Nelson and Rebecca Schutz) focus on the ways in which cultural and social capital reinforce existing class positions for families.  Callero’s chapter looks at different types of resources.  Economic capital is material wealth, such as stocks, bonds, investments.  It is highly concentrated.  Social capital consists of networks and contacts that individuals accumulate through schooling and work that lead to different opportunities.   However, cultural capital is  also important in understanding different class positions. Define cultural capital. What different types of cultural capital are discussed in Callero’s descriptions of Alexander and Tyrec?  How do differences in social capital affect the ways in which children’s performances in school are evaluated? After reading Callero’s article and our discussions of social class, how important do you think family is in predicting social class position over the lifespan?

Answer 1

What is Cultural capital?

Cultural capital comprises one’s knowledge, skill, behaviour, social status and so on. By them one’s social standing is discerned. It also shows one’s sex, age, racial status, nationality and even family back ground. It shows one’s tradition, taste and education.

Different types of cultural capital: In broader sense cultural capital includes social capital and economic capital. Cultural capital appears in different forms. Cultural capital differs in classes. There are cultural capitals based on tastes and these cultural capitals appear rich than others. Some poor people may have good taste than that of the rich. Tyrec is a product of the poor family but he bears versatile qualities. But being a product of the poor family his ambition remains confined like other poor people.   

Some cultural capitals depend upon intelligence. It is in born and it only flourishes with the external stimulation. In spite of having good intelligence Tyrec’s world is confined in some common activities and thinking in comparison to Alexander.   

Some cultural capitals depend on economic condition and in many cases the cultural capital based on tastes appears superior to the economic cultural capital. The cultural capitals based on different classes differ according to the economic condition. The cultural capital of a product of the poor class is not same as in the case of the product of the upper middle class. According to Callero, the cultural capital of the upper middle class is preferred by all. Tyrec belongs to comparatively poor family and he appears less bright than Alexander though in some cases he appears more intelligent than Alexander. Tyrec learns how to show obedience and loyalty to the upper class people where Alexander takes various experiences through conversation with the adults.  

Social capital and school: The school teachers and school administrators greatly value the upper-middle class cultural capital. The students belonging to the upper-middle class are greatly valued and privileged. The curriculum of the school is also formed keeping view to the level of the upper-middle class people. The assessment of the other students is also based in comparison to the students of the upper-middle class.

There are various reasons behind such favour. Most of the teachers and administrators come from the middle class and poor class. Therefore they like to bear some rich background. Besides, in such condition the middle class students feel familiar in the school but in case of the students of the poor family it is difficult to e familiar with the environment of the school. Both the teachers and the class mates appear stranger to them and they can not continue their study in such uneasy situation.     

Importance and role of social class in forming children’s future: There are numerous sociological evidences to prove that economic condition and social status can largely predict the future of the children as adults. It also helps to define the economic future of a child. It has been proved that in most of the cases with the exception of rare matters, the children of the poor family have poor intelligence and they do not have high ambition. They are less skillful in comparison to the children of the upper class people. Besides, in exchanging any conversation with upper-middle class students the students of the working class background feel inferiority complex and it bars in developing their career. They lack boldness and the expectation of prosperous future.