Economic capital

Under economic capital Pierre Bourdieu understands the possession of any type of goods, for example, companies, means of production, land, and other property, such as money, shares, jewelery or works of art.

The economic capital is immediately and directly convertible into money and is particularly suitable for institutionalization in the form of property rights ... (Bourdieu, Pierre: economic capital, cultural capital, social capital, in: .. . Inequality eds Reinhard Kreckel Göttingen: Schwartz 1983. pp. 183-198. p. 185 )

The Bourdieusche concept of capital is indeed derived from Karl Marx, but, based on economic capital, not equivalent to its characterization. Bourdieu uses in his empirical studies as an indicator of economic capital, for example, home ownership, owning a boat, average income, inter alia, therefore He does not consider the work force as part of the " economic capital ". The thought, Bourdieu would take over from Marx the concept of capital as " economic " capital, and fill it to other types of capital, is missed. Although work is convertible into money in some way, but not " directly " and " right ". Therefore, the concept of economic capital must be understood, mainly money and, for Bourdieu expands, goods means along the everyday use of the word " capital ". Thus every person has economic capital. The scope is, however, dependent on membership of a social class. Under capitalism, according to Bourdieu, economic capital is particularly important.

The four related Bourdieu's terms ( see below) are not always strictly distinguish from each other. For example, counts of possession of an image of Picasso at the same time for " economic capital " and " cultural capital ".

For further understanding see the rest postulated by Bourdieu types of capital:

• Cultural capital
• Social capital
• Symbolic capital