Bourdieu Conflict Theory Analysis

Veblen and Bourdieu both have unique perspectives in regards to culture. Both, show a conflictual way of explaining culture as contemporary conflict theorists. In particular, Bourdieu discusses culture through various forms of his readings. Bourdieu in his discussions on culture often takes a conflictual stance when discussing his views on forms of cultural capital, often talking about the inequality that exists throughout the dominated class. Veblen on the other hand talks about many of his conflict theory ideologies on culture throughout his work on “Conspicuous Consumption” and takes a conflict perspective as well. Bourdieu sees culture as a societal level hierarchy. Bourdieu believes that are many distinct forms of cultural capital. The

Institutional cultural capital theory by Bourdieu is one that supports this, and it has to do with credentials. This can be applied to academic degrees. Bourdieu states in cultural forms of capital “With academic qualifications a certificate of cultural competence which confers on its holder a conventional, constant, legally guaranteed value with respect to culture, social alchemy produces a form of relative autonomy” (Bourdieu 49). Bourdieu argues that schools are biased. He argues that school is a way to discriminate against lower status individuals, and reward higher status individuals. He alludes to this when he discusses the “hidden curriculum”. He argues that schooling is a form of a cultural capital measurement that enforces the institutional discrimination against lower class individuals when they try and obtain a job that contains some sort of cultural capital. This is evident in high sought after careers that involve law or medicine, with both career paths requiring seven years or more of higher education. Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital again takes on a conflict perspective, because it discusses the lack of mobility in society for members of the lower status community, because of the dominating classes’ high institutional requirements that require a resource that the majority of lower status individuals don’t have access