Evaluating the Importance of Social Capital for the Conversion of the Forms of Capital: A Critical Approach to the Bourdieusian Model

• Main Author: Durmuş Ali YÜKSEK
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Gaziantep University 2018-07-01
• Series: Gaziantep University Journal of Social Sciences
• Subjects: Social capital; conversion theory; Pierre Bourdieu; forms of capital; interconvertibility
• Online Access: http://dergipark.gov.tr/download/article-file/504247

In The Forms of Capital, Pierre Bourdieu offers significant insight into the nature of the relationship among economic, cultural, and social capital at the individual level. However, his perspective in the interchangeability among these forms of capital includes neither the more comprehensive conceptualization of the conversion processes occurring at the group level, nor the applicability of symbolic capital throughout the conversions. In this study, I focus on the concept of social capital, conceptualize it as a master capital to develop the Bourdieusian model of conversions, and present my own conceptual approach while addressing the shortcomings of the Bourdieusian model. In my conceptualization, social capital, functioning both as a connector and a transmitter between individuals, facilitates the examination of the more complex group-level conversions. Thus, this enlargement of the Bourdieusian model of conversions provides a more encompassing understanding of the strategies that individuals apply to compete for resources and positions in society