The scene: Inequality

What is cultural capital? In your opinion is cultural capital important as a factor responsible for the reproduction of social inequality? Why?

Cultural Capital can be ascribed to knowledge of the preferred behavior traits, beliefs, language, aesthetic, education, social preferences and other various nuances of the dominant class within a society. In short, it’s knowing what exactly is in demand and having the means to fulfill it. It is my belief that cultural capital is a major factor which aids in the reproduction of social inequality. As the dominant class sets the standard, the result is that members of society born into the dominant class are A) endowed by birth with a larger amount of cultural capital and by upbringing B) predisposed towards the easier acquisition of cultural capital. These two factors translate into a higher amount of starting resources available to an individual, which in turn puts the individual in a better position to acquire social capital and eventually, economic capital.

It starts from schooling, when we reward students for their ability to contribute and communicate in a manner deemed suitable by the dominant culture, students of other classes find it harder to integrate into the system and achieve academic success simply because they come from backgrounds which do not support the production of such capital. Accordingly, as we move up the system the bar is raised and a bigger proportion of students (not of the dominant class) find it increasingly hard to assimilate and succeed, eventually these students drop out of the system. Without the higher academic qualifications which almost always equate to an increased ability to acquire economic capital, social inequality is perpetuated.

Secondly, if cultural capital is measured in terms of an individual’s ability to assimilate the dominant’s culture characteristics, behavior and so forth. Such a concept necessarily propagates social inequality because such behaviors are learnt over a lifetime. The mannerisms we adopt are usually that of the people we are socialized with most during our formative years. I.e.: family. These gestures, mannerisms that are repeated over the years are representative of a person’s values, character and identity. It is almost impossible for an individual to “unlearn” a lifetime of experiences and to comfortably adopt a totally alien behavior pattern which does not conform to his formative experiences, values and most importantly, reconcile itself with his economic position. Have you ever been in a social situation whereby you felt "out of place"? That even if you wore the same clothing, cut your hair in the same style and used the lingo that your friends did, you were somehow a pretender? Think that and then amplify it through all aspects of life.

Thus, with the ability to acquire cultural capital seemingly biased towards one’s “birthright”; and a pre-condition on success within society being the ability to contribute cultural capital of an substantial amount, competition from a young age (schooling) which rewards said social capital only further widens the gap between the classes as the dominant class increasingly excels and advances, while other classes are left trailing. This is a formula which sets up the dominant class for success and relegates the lower classes to their positions within society.
Some further thoughts with regards to this issue. Does concepts such as meritocracy build upon or tear apart such social conventions. Taking away class-reproductions and replacing them with inter-racial issues (or is race and class undeniably intertwined?) , how does cultural capital work then, if inequality in reproduction can be found in almost any situation. Is highlighting cultural capital helping us to resolve an issue? Or does it create an excuse for failure?

note: post is a mostly a reproduction of an assignment recently submitted. Hope google match doesn't have me "plagiarizing" myself!