Which factor is most closely associated with Bourdieu's theory of cultural reproduction through education?

• A. Symbolic violence
• B. Cultural capital
• C. Legitimise
• D. Meritocracy

Answer: (B)

Cultural capital is the central factor in Bourdieu’s view of how education reproduces social class. Education rewards the knowledge, language, tastes, and routines that come with a particular family background. When students bring this cultural capital to the classroom, they can decode implicit expectations, participate in ways teachers recognize as competent, and accumulate qualifications that open doors to higher tracks and credentials. Over time, those with cultural capital convert it into academic success, while those without it face hurdles that reinforce the existing social order across generations. Symbolic violence describes how the schooling system makes this inequality feel natural, but the key mechanism is the possession and deployment of cultural capital itself. The meritocracy idea and the notion of legitimization are related, but cultural capital is the asset most closely tied to the reproduction of inequality through education.