Bourdieu: Pro, And Constructivism Concepts

Structuralism and constructivism are the concepts we focused most on in Culture and Diversity. These concepts merge together to illustrate Bourdieu's concept that "power is culturally and symbolically created and constantly reified through the interplay of agency and structure." Before I explain how these concepts are relevant to the experiences of the acculturation and integration of African Americans, American Indians, and Hispanic Indians today, I would like the first define what structuralism and constructivism are.
Structuralism is a concept that certain elements of a person's known culture need to be understood in relation to the larger system or structure. Structuralism works in way that underlie what humans do, think, perceive and
African Americans share languages, values and beliefs along with other aspects of culture with White Americans from similar class or educational background. This is an incredible leap considering that slaves had some very little opportunities to preserve their heritage. It was not until slavery ended that African Americans gained more autonomy. Today, there is an increase in the curiosity of African culture, language, clothing and history. Integration for African Americans presents a mixed picture. Today, the middle class is presented with more opportunities to move up in society and become more successful than ever before. We learned in Annette Lareau's book, Unequal Childhoods, that black middle-class families have more in common with white middle-class families than they do poor black families. For example, a black middle-class girl, Stacey Marshall, shares similar living styles as Garrett Tallinger, a white middle-class boy. They both have busy schedules full of activities, their parents use reasoning instead of hitting, and both parents are both involved in making sure their children succeed in school. Because of these living styles and the activities they are involved in, they have more opportunities to learn skills on how to be