Bourdieu

The essay "The Forms of Capital" written by Pierre Bourdieu addresses all the different colors of capitalism, including shades not typically seen by many. The spectrum includes such that capitalism, generally seen as having economic value, can also have cultural and meaningful purpose. In this essay, Bourdieu talks about the common misconception that capitalism is a monetary value established through academic success, though he argues that it is so much more than that. Throughout the essay, Bourdieu explains that just because someone may not have the money or the gift of being academically inclined, that does not mean they don't have anything to give to the world. Value should be found in the uniqueness or individuality a person has to offer. It should be found in the talents or the cultural beliefs that we have. Bourdieu also makes a point about the competiveness or the working world: having the knowledge alone is not enough to persuade an employer to choose you, but it is our individuality - our quarks, experiences, unique qualities - that separate us from the competition. The term capital is defined as an advantage or quality that is used in production of goods and services. Bourdieu describes this idea of capitalism by saying "any given cultural competence...derives a scarcity value from its position in the distribution of cultural capital and yields profits of distinction for its owner" (p. 245). The idea is that if you bring something unique to the market, it will become more valuable because it has not been seen before - it is unique and cannot be replicated or replaced. This becomes appealing because society in the present is so competitive and everyone wants to have something no one else can obtain. Bourdieu has a common theme that society has a strong belief that academic standing is the only road to success; those who do not receive the proper education are not qualified. The problem with that, Bourdieu expresses, is that not everyone has the