Brouwer's Article: Power And Privilege In Higher Education

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Power and privilege may be challenging and trigger defensiveness from white counterparts. However, it is important to recognize the systemic privilege that whites have over those who come from disadvantaged groups. Prior, to the readings I had a little knowledge of the power and privilege but I did not know the avenues that privileged people do to ensure that their children enroll in the top universities and colleges. As a result, whites have greater access to certain higher social status and income levels that will position them to have greater control over decision-making. This privilege reinforces the imbalance of privilege that whites have over racialized groups. Power and privilege to my knowledge as a minority recognizing those who …show more content…

Brouwer clearly demonstrated throughout his article the “sharing of the pie” relating his article to the implications of higher education. According to Brouwer (1998), 90% of Americans are in a constant struggle with each other for 18% of the wealth. He makes an appealing case that there is an economic gap between races with assets to education, home ownership, fair pay, and social wealth. As a class we discussed that this power and privilege is deeper; there is a difference between social/culture capital, and it has nothing to do with money. I totally agree, with this statement which as a result drove my interest to research more about the differences. The Forms of Capital (1986) written by Bourdieu address the concepts of cultural and social capital. From his point of view, he believes that cultural capital is something that is equipped by oneself and, as a result, reproduces economic capital. The two capitals are directly proportion to each …show more content…

There are deeply embedded systems reiterate power and privilege. Economic capital is often not generated or transferred into cultural capital because most who come from low-economic backgrounds are not at all and/or effectively educated on the importance of acquiring skills to boost cultural capital. Those who have a well-paying job that brings him/her power and higher salary/status increases their economic capital. Those opportunities should be equitable to everyone, but unfortunately, that is not the case leaving those who come from disadvantaged groups impoverished and those in power increasing their abundance of

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