Social class is about more than income. This article explores how Marx, Weber and Bourdieu help us understand class, life chances, cultural capital, social mobility and the unequal distribution of opportunity.
Continue reading
Watching Trading Places as a Christmas comfort film, it is hard not to see a ready-made sociological case study. The Dukes’ “experiment” looks like a simple nature-versus-nurture wager, but the life swap really turns on class, race and access to capital. This article uses Bourdieu’s framework to show how the film exposes—and then neatly smooths over—the myth of meritocracy.
Continue reading
Bourdieu’s concept of capital—economic, cultural, social, and symbolic—reveals how privilege is passed on and class boundaries maintained. This article explains each type of capital, critiques the theory, and shows its relevance in today’s educational inequalities.
Continue reading
