Pierre Bourdieu's Theory of Multiple Capitals: A Critique

Abstract

The hallmark of French thinker undoubtedly is worthy of critical attention. To make this task feasible, the paper focuses not on the secondary literature, but on Bourdieu’s work itself. Thanks to what follows, one is able to establish whether the conception of various capitals stands up to analytical scrutiny. And an outcome of this examination has even broader relevance-Bourdieu is the most prolific exponent of an entire trend, much in vogue in social science recently. It would be difficult to indicate a field of inquiry in which this or that unorthodox, extra-economic concept of capital has not been deployed as a research tool. The result of this critical analysis are not encouraging; Bourdieu’s framework is plagued by economism or economic imperialism, and suffers from other limitations as well.