Cultural

Capital

Cultural capital, when used in relation to education, promotes the idea that schools should support the modern definition of what ‘cultural capital’ means. That is an individual who is knowledgeable about a wide range of culture, is comfortable discussing its value and merits, and has been given a vast array of experiences and access to skill development.


Bourdieu identified three sources of cultural capital – objective, embodied and institutionalised. In education, this could look like:

  • Objective: cultural goods, books, works of art

  • Embodied: language, mannerisms, preferences

  • Institutionalised: qualifications, education credentials


Therefore, cultural capital in education could potentially be realised through all aspects of the curriculum, exposing students to a large variety of subject areas and arts; promoting character-building qualities that lead to creating well-rounded, global citizens, and of course the more typical expectations of education, which is to provide young people with recognised and meaningful qualifications that will open up doors to paths in later life.


Some of the activities that we engage in to enrich the children's cultural capital include:


  • The Arts (art, literature, music, drama, dance)

  • Languages (French)

  • School trips

  • Lunchtime and after-school clubs

  • Inter-generational activities

  • Use of IT


In an early years setting, ‘cultural capital’ means that each child arrives with a number of experiences and ideas based on their own personal circumstances. At this stage, cultural capital is developed through exciting and stimulating activities. These include:

  • finding books on a child’s favourite topic

  • creating role-play activities that further their interest in a particular idea

  • taking trips to the park

  • organising visits from community figures such as the police

"By engaging with culture throughout childhood, young people are better able to articulate themselves, access opportunities and navigate choices as they get older." (Davies, A New Direction for Arts Culture and Young London, 2014)