From Ancient Roots to Future-Ready Frontiers

ABSTRACTPeer support is widely promoted as enabling health care access with people experiencing homelessness, including through enabling independence, empowering individuals and managing stigma. However, there is little understanding of these processes, including how they relate to the wide range of potential activities involved in peer support. We studied peer support within a peer advocacy service at a charity run by and for people experiencing homelessness in London, UK. We report analysis from a sub‐set of qualitative interviews and focus groups gathered for a qualitative study of peer advocacy. We include interviews that offered insight to particular cases of peer advocacy. These interviews came from 23 clients of the service, 6 peer advocates, 1 staff member and 2 stakeholders. We drew on Bourdieu's theory of capitals to develop a typology of different ways peer support works. The findings focus on reporting three types of experiences: where peer support builds cultural health capital amongst service clients, boosts cultural health capital, social and economic capital, and third, where boosting social and economic capital are priorities. The discussion considers how the analysis helps conceptualise processes of peer support with respect to empowerment, independence and stigma management.

The arts as cultural capital among elites: Bourdieu's theory reconsidered

This thesis explores the role of social and cultural capital in the music festival experience. It does so by gathering observations and post-festival accounts from attendees at three separate music festivals located in England. The data were analysed using Fairclough's approach to critical discourse analysis, resulting in the identification of styles and orders of discourse. Little research, particularly of a qualitative nature, has investigated the roles of cultural taste and social inter-relationships in the music festival experience. Bourdieu's theory of cultural capital and the inter-linked theory of social capital, developed with slightly different emphases by Bourdieu, Coleman and Putnam, were selected as providing an appropriate theoretical framework. Cultural capital, particularly its component of habitus, was a useful lens for focusing on the ways in which participants' cultural tastes related to their festival experience. Social capital was useful for its orientation towards the role of social inter-relationships in the development of cultural taste and festival experience. This thesis found that the youth years, particularly through peer influence, were a rich period for initiation into a taste for a particular genre of music. Initiation could also occur later in life. This contrasts with cultural capital theory's emphasis on early socialisation through family and school. A sense of being a member of the festival music genre's cognoscenti was also found to play a role in the festival experience. Participants discovered complexity in all genres of festival music, challenging the hierarchies underpinning cultural capital. Festivals were found to be sites where connections with already known associates were intensified (bonding social capital), rather than sites where enduring new connections were made (bridging social capital). This thesis critically develops approaches to social and cultural capital and suggests drivers for cultural policy.

This article explores the ways that fertility clinics in the Czech Republic and Spain attract international fertility clients for fertility treatment involving egg donation. I draw upon a content analysis of 18 fertility clinics' advertising materials and 31 in-depth interviews with fertility professionals in the Czech Republic and Spain, and Canadian fertility travellers to show how clinics use cultural health capital (CHC) to persist as popular destination sites for fertility travellers. I argue that the use of evidence-based medicine and patient-centred care combined with bioracial discourses are strategies by which clinics create a culture of fertility care that is legible to white, middle-class, hetero travellers. My interviews with fertility patients who travelled to these sites show the ways in which CHC is interactional-I document how fertility travellers desire these specific practices that are both created for and marketed to them. By expanding the definition of CHC to show how fertility clinics market and fertility travellers expect a particular culture of fertility medicine, I elucidate the interactions between clinics and professionals that reinforce ideals of white motherhood and the stratification of reproduction.

Purpose Despite a higher prevalence of mental health problems among people with a migration background, recent studies indicate these patients have more unmet medical needs and are under-represented in mental health services. General practitioners (GPs) are central gatekeepers in treatment and referral to specialised mental health care. However, their recommendations can be influenced by beliefs, social norms and practices that might prejudice people with a migration background. This study aims to examine GPs’ accounts of patients with a migration background suffering from mental health problems and their related decision-making processes. Design/methodology/approach Thirty-nine in-depth interviews were conducted with Belgian GPs. An analysis based on critical discursive psychology was performed to (a) examine how GPs discursively construct their decision-making regarding patients with a migration background and (b) identify how GPs position these patients. Findings The authors identified three distinct interpretative repertoires in GPs’ accounts: the legal-political repertoire, the culturalising repertoire and the humanitarian repertoire. GPs often view patients’ health beliefs and integration as obstacles to proper care, focusing primarily on biological and psychological aspects while neglecting social elements. This can lead to cultural stereotyping and prejudicial treatment outcomes. Even when adopting a humanitarian stance, GPs can diminish patients’ agency and impede patient-centred care. Originality/value These findings have implications for policy, medical training and future research. Policies should address biases and stereotypes in health care by promoting the inclusion of social elements without diminishing patients’ agency. Medical training should emphasise the biopsychosocial model, recognising and addressing biases, promoting patient-centred care and fostering therapeutic relationships based on shared power and responsibility. Future research should explore the impact of patients’ cultural health capital on medical interactions and outcomes.

This article juxtaposes the evolving scholarship investigating the influence of cultural capital on student learning and the developing trajectory of sociologists employing quantitative research methods. It critically reviews results from 34 studies analysing PISA or ASPIRES data to generate three key insights demonstrating complexities in relationships between cultural capital and student outcomes. First, cultural capital is a complex construct with many variables (different forms of cultural capital, highbrow/non‐highbrow cultural capital) varying in their association with student literacy and parents’ cultural capital affecting student literacy both directly and indirectly. Second, the influence of cultural capital may vary with types of student outcomes measured. Specifically, there are cultural variables associated with student literacy in different subjects, some cultural capital variables are more important for student literacy for a subject, and cultural capital influences student aspirations in addition to their literacy. Third, the influence of cultural capital on student literacy may vary with educational and social contexts. Cultural capital is more important in decentralised education systems, in low‐achieving schools within differentiated education systems, in higher‐quality schools and in more unequal, developed societies. In contrast, it matters less in high‐achieving and standardised education systems, and in societies valuing education. Given the complexity in cultural capital, future research can ascertain how each cultural capital variable contributes to student learning and compare their effectiveness. It is also important to identify which cultural capital variables matter for specific student outcomes. Lastly, these insights highlight the need to recognise contextual differences in studies of social inequality.

The quality of the collaboration between health professionals and caregivers is of great significance to outcome and recovery. Severe brain injuries after a stroke can leave patients unable to communicate their needs and wishes with health professionals, in which case the role of the caregiver(s) becomes even more important. This position is highly differentiated, and there are substantial variations in how caregivers participate in the collaboration. Using the Bourdieusian concept of cultural health capital, we aimed to develop a broader understanding of the role played by the patient’s caregiver and how inequality is produced in the encounter with professionals. This qualitative study was conducted from 2014 to 2018. We observed the meetings and interactions between caregivers and health professionals during patients’ neurorehabilitation after a stroke, and we interviewed caregivers and health professionals on their experiences during this period. Constructing three different caregiver types—the proactive, the persistent, and the deferential—we discovered different ways of interacting and different attitudes related to cultural health capital, which provided the caregiver with more or fewer opportunities to participate in a dialogue and negotiation on behalf of the patient.

In the context of rapid economic development and social transformation in China, this article, based on Bourdieu's theory of cultural capital, explores the phenomena of inequality in China's higher education and their impact on the reproduction of social strata. It first analyzes the inequalities in educational opportunities, processes, and outcomes, identifying family background, uneven distribution of educational resources, and deficiencies in the educational assessment system as the main factors contributing to these inequalities. Through empirical data, the article demonstrates how cultural capital is transmitted and accumulated within the education system, thereby affecting individuals' social mobility. Finally, the article proposes a series of policy recommendations, including optimizing the distribution of educational resources, reforming educational training and management systems, and improving educational assessment mechanisms, to reduce educational inequality. It also provides guidance for future research directions. These measures aim to promote educational equity, break the solidification of social strata, and achieve social harmony and progress.

While children and adolescents' education has been significantly affected during the COVID-19 pandemic and school closures, how they are impacted remains unknown. Based on Bourdieu's theory, this paper aims to examine whether cultural capital mediates the association between economic capital and academic achievement during the crisis. Using a longitudinal dataset from the Chinese high school and the moderated mediation model, the result showed that economic capital had a total effect on academic achievement, especially on the students' academic ranks. Meanwhile, economic-related inequality in education seemed to be mediated by cultural capital. Interestingly, the finding further indicated that the indirect effect was mainly attributable to exam-oriented cultural capital, compared with quality-based cultural capital. we discussed the theoretical contributions and policy implications in the end.

Using the literature review method and applying Bourdieu's theory of cultural capital, this study explores the role of cultural capital in physical education and how it influences social reproduction and educational inequality. To address the inequality in physical education, the study proposes strategies in two areas: promoting educational equity and cultivating cultural capital. Strategies to promote educational equity include showcasing multiculturalism, strengthening teachers' cultural sensitivity training, encouraging student participation in the design and organization of physical activities, and enhancing school-community cooperation. Strategies to cultivate cultural capital include integrating local and global cultures into physical education curricula, incorporating sports history and culture into teaching, promoting cross-cultural sports exchanges and interdisciplinary integration, and strengthening teacher training in cultural education.

BackgroundBreastfeeding initiation and continuation rates are shaped by complex and interrelated determinants across individual, interpersonal, community, organisational, and policy spheres. Young mothers, however, face a double burden of stigma, being perceived as immature and incompetent in their mothering and breastfeeding abilities. In this study, we aimed to understand the experiences of young mothers who exclusively breastfed for six months and beyond and explore their experiences of stigma and active resistance through social media.MethodsIn 2020, in-depth telephone interviews about breastfeeding experiences were conducted with 44 young mothers under age 25 in Aotearoa New Zealand who breastfed for six months or longer. Participants were recruited via social media. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically.ResultsAnalysis yielded four themes on young mothers’ negotiation of breastfeeding and support. The first three themes revealed young mothers’ encounters with socio-cultural contexts. They faced negative judgments about maturity and competence, adverse guidance to supplement or cease breastfeeding, and an undermining of their breastfeeding efforts. The fourth theme showed how young mothers sought alternative support in online environments to avoid negative interactions. Online spaces provided anonymity, convenience, experiential knowledge and social connections with shared values. This facilitated identity strengthening, empowerment and stigma resistance.ConclusionOur research highlights the importance of online communities as a tool for young mothers to navigate and resist the societal stigmas surrounding breastfeeding. Online spaces can provide a unique structure that can help counteract the adverse effects of social and historical determinants on breastfeeding rates by fostering a sense of inclusion and support. These findings have implications for the development of breastfeeding promotion strategies for young mothers and highlight the potential of peer support in counteracting the negative impacts of stigma. The research also sheds light on the experiences of young mothers within the health professional relationship and the effects of stigma and cultural health capital on their engagement and withdrawal from services. Further research should examine how sociocultural barriers to breastfeeding stigmatise and marginalise young mothers and continue to reflect on their socio-political and economic positioning and how it can exacerbate inequities.

Trust is a decisive feature of social interactions, transactions, and relationships, yet the implications of trust in integration processes has largely escaped sociological inquiry. Based on interviews and focus group discussions with Somali immigrants in Norway, this article examines trust in the context of health care integration. Using empirical examples from a birth-clinic, the MMR-vaccine, and everyday consultancy, the study highlights that the relationship between Somalis and Norwegian health care providers is characterized by a pervasive, mutual unfamiliarity. This unfamiliarity translates to a reliance on selected Norwegian-Somalis who by commanding two health care cultures can engage as bridge-builders to negotiate associated barriers. The article argues that the combination of immigrant background and formal health knowledge constitutes a type of cultural health capital. Although tapping into this capital extends the health care system and enhances Somalis’ ability to invest trust and benefit from entitlements, a shared background is not synonymous with trust.

Summary Initial cultural capital, an enduring advantage? A study of the effect of cultural capital on occupational status This article investigates how cultural capital influences occupational status, and the role of education therein. From the cultural reproduction theory, we derive hypotheses expecting a direct positive effect from cultural capital on occupational status, and an indirect effect through education. Drawing on the cultural mobility theory, we hypothesize that the direct effect decreases with the level of education. Using data from the Longitudinal Internet Studies of the Social Sciences, we find partial support for the cultural reproduction theory implying that cultural capital is supporting inequality in the educational system but not in the occupational field. There is no support for our hypothesis based on the cultural mobility theory, as we do not find robust effect from education on the relation between cultural capital and occupational status.

The overarching goal of this dissertation is to examine a recent rise in rates of deaths from suicide, alcohol, and drugs, labeled together as “deaths of despair” in the United States using Bourdieu’s theory of capital. Although the deaths of despair phenomenon is a product of a complex process related to various material and non-material factors, there is no theoretical framework that is able to account for different domains of predictors. Thus, this dissertation aims to fill this gap by drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of capital and systematically investigating the relationships of mortality rates attributed to suicide, alcohol, and opioid use with economic, social, and cultural capital. This project empirically examines Bourdieu’s theory of capital by compiling unique county-level dataset from various sources, such as the restricted Multiple Cause of Death files, the American Community Survey, and Facebook data. The methods used in this dissertation include path analysis modeling and multilevel linear regression modeling. The first empirical study examines the association between economic capital and the deaths of despair mortality rate, with a special attention on the role of the economic recession in 2007-2009 and the county’s economic structure (blue-collar counties vs. non-blue-collar counties). This study also establishes economic capital-stress pathways to better understand the mechanisms through which economic capital affects the deaths of despair mortality rate. Results show that 1) economic capital, unemployment rate in particular, is a consistent predictor of the mortality rate. 2) The pathways via stress are also significant. 3) The direct and indirect effects of economic capital are stronger among blue-collar counties than non-blue-collar counties and economic recession period models than post-economic recession period models. The second empirical study introduces social capital measures (i.e., social network and social class) constructed based on Bourdieu’s concept of social capital with an emphasis on the role of social class and compares results obtained from Putnam’s social capital to those from Bourdieu’s. Results suggest that there are significant relationships between Bourdieu’s social capital measures and the deaths of despair mortality rates and that the relationships remain significant even after including Putnam’s social capital index. Furthermore, the results show that the associations between social network and the mortality rates vary by the level of social class. The aim of the third empirical study is to construct county-level cultural capital indices based on Bourdieu’s concept and examine whether they are related to the deaths of despair mortality rates. Results suggest that

Against the backdrop of cultural revival and the rapid development of new media technologies, the cultural connotations of the intangible cultural heritage "Fuzhou Jasmine Tea Scenting Process" face the problem of inappropriate extraction and over-consumption by capital through cultural labeling, leading to cognitive dilemmas among adolescents. This study analyzes the internal logic of the transformation of this intangible cultural heritage tea-making technique from cultural capital to economic capital, based on David Throsby and Pierre Bourdieu's theory of cultural capital. Finally, this paper explores the reasons why cultural labels hurt adolescents during the dissemination process, using Lasswell's 5W communication model. The study found that businesses, based on the tangible and intangible cultural value of intangible cultural heritage, simplify core terms such as "scenting" into cultural labels for commercial operations. This distorted cultural concept is disseminated to adolescents through digital channels such as milk tea ordering mini-programs, leading to conceptual ambiguity, product misjudgment, or a complete lack of understanding of the scenting process among this group. Based on the above issues, this article suggests strengthening cooperation between industrial and commercial administration departments and cultural departments, and incorporating cultural heritage-related courses into the education stage to avoid deviations in the dissemination of traditional culture.