BourdieuPasseron

Pierre Bourdieu and Jean-Claude Passeron were French sociologists who collaborated on influential works in the field of education and social reproduction. Their seminal book, "The Inheritors: French Students and Their Relation to Culture," published in 1964, examined how the French educational system favored students from privileged backgrounds. They argued that cultural capital, a concept they developed, played a significant role in academic success. Cultural capital refers to the non-financial social assets that promote social mobility beyond economic means, such as education, intellect, style of speech, dress, and physical appearance.

Their subsequent work, "Reproduction in Education, Society and Culture" (1970), further elaborated on these ideas. They posited that the educational system, far from being a meritocratic institution, actively reproduces existing social inequalities by valuing and rewarding the cultural capital of the dominant class. This cultural capital is transmitted through families and is often unconsciously acquired by students. The school system, according to Bourdieu and Passeron, legitimizes these inequalities by presenting them as based on objective merit rather than inherited privilege. Their theories have had a profound impact on sociology of education, challenging traditional views of schooling and highlighting the hidden mechanisms of social reproduction.