Return to Symbolic Capital: Case Study

Abstract

In this paper we propose to reconsider the concept of symbolic capital, as presented by Bourdieu and as it is understood today, and to present the results of a study on how social identity is being built, a study conducted on the ground in an ethnic, confessional and cultural community in a period of post-communist transition. The research is a quantitative one. The results highlight the current practical value of the symbolic capital concept, internalized and manifested differently by the different social groups belonging to the same communities. Equally, symbolic capital can be a vector of preserving local identity and the community can rely on it to shape its future.