Definitions and Forms of Social Capital

Abstract

The first modern conceptualization of social capital was actually presented before the Golden Era of social capital in the 1990s and 2000s. The French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu wrote about social capital already in the late 1970s and 1980s. Economic, cultural and social capitals are the archetypes of capitals that affect the life chances of individuals and function in the cultural practices of communities. Bourdieu mentioned “social capital” in 1979 in La distinction where he graphically described the interplay and functioning of various capitals in the class structure of human society (Bourdieu 1979, p. 139). The idea of social capital was repeated in his subsequent works, but always as a possible concept for understanding how social capital transforms into economic capital and power (Bourdieu 1979, 1980, 1986). The theoretical basis for social capital was published in 1980 (Bourdieu 1980), and became known in the USA 6 years later through an English translation (Bourdieu 1986). The most cited conceptualization of social capital by Bourdieu (in English translation) is “the aggregate of the actual or potential resources which are linked to possession of a durable network of more or less institutionalized relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition” (Bourdieu 1986, p. 248).