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A Comparison of Theories of Social Capital by Pierre Bourdieu and James Coleman

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A Comparison of Theories of Social Capital by Pierre Bourdieu and James Coleman Social capital is a sociological theory which has gained increasing attention in recent years. Whilst Bourdieu can be credited with introducing the term to sociology, it was James Coleman who allowed the concept to gain widespread recognition, highlighting its importance as an individual notion. For Bourdieu social capital forms a part of an overarching theory of ‘fields’, ‘capital’ and their relation to class reproduction. The key importance of social capital for Bourdieu is its relationship with economic capital, whilst for Coleman, social capital is seen to lead to human capital. It seems that both Bourdieu and …show more content…

Secondly, the fundamental contrasts between explanations of the social processes which allow social capital to exist will be discussed, whilst I will argue that this is perhaps the most important difference between Bourdieu and Coleman’s theories. Thirdly, I will address the ramifications of such differenced in terms of later attempts to use these two theoretical approaches in empirical testing and practice, arguing that whilst Coleman’s approach may seem more attractive, being inherently more testable and applicable, it is in fact fraught with ambiguities and inconsistencies, many of which Bourdieu’s perhaps more challenging theory manages to avoid. It would firstly seem important to compare the two definitions of social capital offered by Bourdieu and Coleman. Bourdieu defines the concept as, ‘the aggregate of the actual or potential resources which are linked to possession of a durable network of more or less institutionalised relationships of mutual acquaintance or recognition.’(1985 p.248). Coleman, however defined social capital by its function as ‘a variety of entities with two elements in common: They all consist of some aspect of social structures, and they facilitate certain action of actors – whether persons or corporate actors – within the structure.’ (1990 p.302). Whilst both theorists concentrate upon the benefits accruing to individuals or families by

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