EXPLORING THE RELEVANCE OF CULTURAL CAPITAL THEORY FOR ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital is used in literature for a wide range of investigations. However, most of these investigations are based in the context of western society. The current study attempts to explore the relevance of this theory in Pakistan’s context. It attempts to do so by exploring students’ cultural capital through the investigation of the factors used as indicators of it in the literature, and employing them in the context of Pakistan. In the next stage, this study attempts to understand students’ learning experience shaped up by their cultural capital to understand the cultural relevance of the theory. This is a quantitative study conducted through a questionnaire survey with a total response of 1330 students from 14 architecture schools in Pakistan. Findings identified 4 cultural capital clusters in the data. A direct correlation was found between clusters and students' learning experience of Architecture, showing a strong relevance of cultural capital theory in the context of Pakistan. Keywords: Cultural Capital, Pakistani Society, Cultural Relevance, Architectural Education, Quantitative Study