Cultural Capital

Cultural capital exists in three states, each of which requires economical capital as the primary impetus for accumulation . First, the embodied state of cultural capital includes the individual’s investment in self-improvement such as cultivating hobbies and interests. The most difficult form of capital to transfer is embodied capital, which requires time and merit. Second, the objectified state is the appreciation of cultural goods and materials such as books and instruments by those who hold the necessary levels of embodied capital . Lastly, the institutionalized state encompasses cultural capital as academic credentials or qualifications that are legally binding . Institutionalized forms of capital are transferrable from the nonmaterial to material through the avenue of economic capital .
As stated by Dumais, “the acquisition of cultural capital and subsequent access to academic rewards depend upon the cultural capital passed down by the family , which in turn, is largely dependent on social class” . Furthermore, the amount of cultural capital possessed is appreciable to the onset of the acquisition process . While acquisition of cultural capital is a continual process that occurs throughout college, achieving equilibrium with continuing-generation students may prove arduous if accumulation of dominant forms of capital begin at matriculation. Furthermore, first-generation college students’ responsibilities outside of academia may hamper the accumulation process. Scholarship in Sociology of Education has yet to examine this process of capital accumulation and preexisting forms of capital. The omission of such will be brought to the forefront of my