Teaching About Capital:
Social, Cultural, and Political Capital
(and how they are unevenly distributed in society)
Capital is often narrowly understood as access to money (financial capital). While financial capital is hugely important to life in the western world and beyond, there are other forms of capital that too often go ignored. These include cultural and social capital.
While teaching a course on hegemony, I created my own version of Hasbro's The Game of Life (below). In this version, players must inherit or earn different kinds of capital (social, economic, political) and then expend that capital in order to find greater economic success and political empowerment. The purpose of the game is to help players understand Pierre Bourdieu's theory that capital is an idea that transcends money and, with that, that the different forms of capital are--like money--unevenly distributed in our society.
The slides immediately below are some of the contents that I used in lessons on different forms of capital and how they relate to achieving different kinds of success in the United States.
DEFINING SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CAPITAL
Social capital and cultural capital are non-financial assets defined by French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu to explain how people gain power, status, and advantage in society.
Social Capital
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Definition: The value, support, and resources a person gets from their social networks and relationships (friends, family, colleagues, and organizational ties).
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How it works: It is attributed from the outside based on who you know and your connections to groups that can offer opportunities, information, or influence.
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Example: Getting a high-paying job or a business deal through a well-connected family member or a friend from an elite university. Many scholars agree that social capital relies heavily on the socioeconomic status of your network.
Cultural Capital
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Definition: The non-financial, non-material knowledge, skills, credentials, and aesthetic preferences that help a person navigate culture and gain social status.
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How it works: It is usually inherited through family socialization or gained through education. Bourdieu divided it into three forms:
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Embodied Cultural Capital: Internalized traits like language, accent, manners, and style of speech.
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Objectified Cultural Capital: Physical objects that signal status, such as art, books, or clothing.
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Institutionalized Cultural Capital: Formally recognized credentials, degrees, and qualifications.
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Example: Speaking with a specific accent, holding a college degree from a prestigious school, or knowing how to appreciate classical art.
The Game of Life: Social and Cultural Capital Edition
NOTE: Understanding the game and how it is meant to work should be evident from the slides above. To play the came, you need to print out the "game board" in as large a format as possible. And as is the case with any classroom activity, you should evaluate the game before giving it to students and be ready to answer their questions as they proceed through the game.