Social capital concepts and applications

¶ … Social Capital in Educational Literature" describes two competing theories of social capital. Bourdieu's theory, postulated in the late 1980s, they report as dealing with the way in which class status provides a sort of collective capital, and in which "essentially institutionalized relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition" provide for the reproduction of class standing in the next generation and its support within the present generation. In general, it seems to approach social capital in terms of (symbolic) power and social inequality, much as many other writers would approach capitalist economic power. Coleman's theory, however, takes Bourdieu's ideas about social inequality springing from the heavy-armed application of social capital and (perhaps taking a very upper class view of things) presents social capital as a necessary part of the nation's moral fiber. Coleman seems to see social capital as a sort of norming process and positively mutual obligations in society, a kind of resource available to people with positive family and religious structures which, he seems to imply, anyone with the right character can achieve.

The focus of this article is to track the application of social capital theory to educational outcome. According to their results, Coleman's vision of social capital has been far more popular than Bourdiedu's among researchers and educators, who seem to embrace the idea that the right family structure and social structure will create better outcomes for children. However, the authors point out that by focusing almost exclusively on parental or community involvement in the success of schoolchildren, much of this research may be neglecting the role of social capitalism in fostering inequality (rather than success) and the additionally obscuring the roles of women's networking.