Bordieu's theory of Cultural Capital and
Habitus:

Bordieu's addition to the reproduction
theory is the concepts of cultural capital
and habitus. Cultural capital is "the
general cultural background, knowledge,
disposition, and skills that are passes
from one generation to the next (13)."
This capital is passed by families from
generation to generation. Because the
education system rewards and values the
cultural capital of the upper classes, the
lower classes are unequipped and
disadvantaged from the beginning of life.

Bordieu breaks the theory into four main
points:
1. Everyone gets their cultural capital
according to their class
2. The school values the upper class
capital and negatively values the capital
from the lower classes, putting the lower
class students as a disadvantage
3. The economy through the job market
rewards those that do well in school
which is usually those from the valued
cultural capital classes (upper classes)
4. The school justifies what happens in
school and society through hierarchies in
school which are based on merits or
grades

From this theory the schools are seen as
a reflection of the dominant culture that
rewards the upper class capital and
operates out of the dominant culture.

Habitus is another concept from Bordieu
that is "the attitides, beliefs, and
experiences of those inhabiting one's
social world (15)." These deeply held
attitudes by individuals promote beliefs
among the lower class that they will not
achieve academic success because the
schools are run out of a completely
different cultural capital than the one they
possess.

Aspirations, therefore are formed through
the habitus as a product of the
individual's cultural capital that came from
his or her class.

In my own life, I believe I have lived in the
working class receiving federal and state
aid for my family. I never was taught a
cultural capital according to my class
income however because of the company
my family kept and the goals my father
had for his life as well as ours. I did,
however notice differences in my class
culture as I grew older and began to
realize that I did not have a life like my
friends had. This resulted in a lot of
shame of my family, house, and financial
situation. I remember crying because
although I was in girl scouts my family
could not buy the uniforms and badges
that everyone else had. I suppose I could
say that I grew up with a false
consciousness of my habitus and had
the privilege to live in a class culture that
was more expanded and freed than my
class should have allowed.

I really liked the realization that we trade
money for education, education for
grades and grades for money. With a
schooling system that operates out of the
dominant class, the lower class' currency
never increases in its value, and therefore
they don't become even in the race of
education, and therefore in the world of
wealth.

I know that I left out some parts of the
question, but I want to catch up in the
reading. I just began chapter four...
excellent book, so PEACE OUT!