The use of ‘cultural capital’ in sociology of education in Sweden

Abstract

We seek to consider the use of Pierre Bourdieu’s ‘cultural capital’ within Swedish sociology of education focusing on the adoption of the term and asking how the ‘cultural capital’ is related to the specific context in Sweden. Here we consider the historical context and disciplinary route through which the concept travelled. The Swedish educational system promoted the ideal of meritocracy: everyone had an equal chance to access education, which in turn should facilitate social mobility. Even if the economic barriers to accessing education had been removed and higher education was available, social equality had not been achieved. The concept of cultural capital allowed for precise analyses of social groups’ use of the education system. The studies were able to show that the meritocratic ideal also concealed an inequality, where the school’s embrace of culture was something different from, and more than, what the teaching was supposed to convey.