Which concept describes Bourdieu's idea that education reproduces social class through cultural resources and dispositions?

• A. Cultural capital
• B. Symbolic violence
• C. Limited social mobility
• D. Middle class values

Answer: (C)

Cultural capital explains how education reproduces social class through cultural resources and dispositions. Bourdieu argues that schools value language, manners, knowledge, and tastes associated with the dominant social groups. When students inherit these dispositions—habitus—they navigate schooling more smoothly, gain credentials, and convert cultural cues into educational advantages. Over time, those with cultural capital accumulate more credentials, while others face barriers, so class positions are reproduced across generations. Cultural capital can be embodied in a person (habitus and know-how), objectified (cultural goods), or institutionalized (degrees). The other terms refer to related ideas or outcomes, but the mechanism described by this concept is best captured by cultural capital.