Cultural CapitalPierre Bourdieu is best known for his work on cultural capital, but he did not treat it in isolation. In his essay "The Forms of Capital" he set out three fundamental guises of capital: economic, cultural and social. This article looks at the third, social capital, and at how it fits with the others. It is an educational overview of a sociological idea. It is not financial, investment or career advice, and nothing here promotes any financial product or regulated service.
Three guises of capital
As summarised from Bourdieu's essay, capital can take three basic forms depending on the field in which it operates. Economic capital is money and assets that are immediately and directly convertible into money. Cultural capital covers knowledge, skills and tastes, and is often formalised through academic qualifications. Social capital is made up of resources built from relationships and obligations.
Bourdieu's definition
Bourdieu defines social capital as "the aggregate of the actual or potential resources" linked to possession of a durable network of mutual acquaintance and recognition. The key words are "actual or potential". Social capital is not only the help you have received; it also includes the help that membership of a network makes possible.
A network, not a single contact
Notice that the definition is about a durable network rather than a single connection. Membership of such a network gives each member access to a shared, collectively held base of capital, something like a credential that can open doors. The size of someone's social capital therefore depends on how extensive their network is, and on the resources held by the people within it.
Social capital has to be maintained
One consequence of Bourdieu's view is that networks are not simply given. Relationships are kept going through exchanges, shared experiences and mutual recognition. This is a useful reminder that social capital is built over time, and that it is as much about obligation and trust as about convenience.
How the forms relate
Bourdieu's essay is notable for showing how the forms of capital can sometimes be converted into one another. Cultural capital can sometimes be turned into economic capital, as can social capital. Social capital can also be formalised, with a noble title as one example in the source. The idea of convertibility is a central reason sociologists find the framework so useful for thinking about inequality and opportunity.
Questions to reflect on
If you are using the idea for study, a few questions may help. Which of your own networks have shaped what you know and what you have felt able to try? How do different institutions, such as schools, clubs or workplaces, create or limit networks? How might knowledge, skills and relationships reinforce one another? There are no single right answers, and the concept has been debated and developed by many scholars since the essay was first published.
Reading further
The essay itself is the best starting point, and university libraries and reading lists often include it. This blog takes an educational and research approach to cultural capital and related ideas.
Source: Pierre Bourdieu, "The Forms of Capital" (1986), as made available at https://home.iitk.ac.in/~amman/soc748/bourdieu_forms_of_capital.pdf, read 15 October 2026. Educational overview only.