Cultural capital
Pierre Bourdieu's concept describing culturally valued knowledge, qualifications, language, and behaviours that advantaged groups possess and schools reward, creating educational inequality.
Real World
A middle-class student whose parents regularly visit art galleries and discuss broadsheet newspapers feels immediately comfortable in a school environment that values those same cultural references, while a working-class peer with equal intelligence but different home culture may be judged as less capable.
Exam Focus
Always distinguish cultural capital from material deprivation — examiners reward candidates who show Bourdieu's concept is about culture, not income.
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