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Cited by 300Social and Cultural DynamicsPolitical Economy and MarxismElite Sociology and Global Capitalism

Capitals, assets, and resources: some critical issues 1

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Savage, Mike, Warde, Alan, Devine, Fiona·2005·The British Journal of Sociology
DOI 10.1111/j.1468-4446.2005.00045.x
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Abstract

This paper explores the potential of Bourdieu's approach to capital as a way of understanding class dynamics in contemporary capitalism. Recent rethinking of class analysis has sought to move beyond what Rosemary Crompton (1998 ) calls the ‘employment aggregate approach’, one which involves categorizing people into class groups according to whether they have certain attributes (e.g. occupations). Instead, recent contributions by Pierre Bourdieu, Erik Wright, Aage Sorensen, and Charles Tilly have concentrated on understanding the mechanisms that produce class inequalities. Concepts such as assets, capitals and resources (CARs) are often used to explain how class inequalities are produced, but there remain ambiguities and differences in how such terms are understood. This paper identifies problems faced both by game theoretical Marxism and by the rational choice approach of Goldthorpe in developing an adequate approach to CARs. It then turns to critically consider how elements of Bourdieu's approach, where his concept of capital is related to those of habitus and field, might overcome these weaknesses. Our rendering of his arguments leads us to conclude that our understanding of CARs might be enriched by considering how capital is distinctive not in terms of distinct relations of exploitation, but through its potential to accumulate and to be converted to other resources. This focus, we suggest, sidesteps otherwise intractable problems in CAR based approaches.

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Research works printed but not linked: 14

  1. Abbott, A. 2002 Time Matters, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  2. Bartley, M. 2004 Health Inequalities, Oxford: Blackwells.
  3. Bourdieu, P. 1984 Distinction, London: Routledge.
  4. Bourdieu, P. 1999 Pascalian Meditations, Cambridge: Polity.
  5. Crompton, R. 1998 Class and Stratification, Second Edition, Cambridge: Polity.
  6. Erikson, R. and Goldthorpe, J.H. 1992 The Constant Flux, Oxford: Clarendon.
  7. Field, J. 2003 Social Capital, London: Routledge.
  8. Fligstein, N. 2000 The Architecture of Markets: An Economic Sociology of the 21 st Century, Oxford: Princeton University Press.
  9. Halsey, A.H., Heath, A.F. and Ridge, J.M. 1980 Origins and Destinations: Family, Class and Education in Britain, Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  10. Lin, N. 2001 Social Capital, New York: Oxford University Press.
  11. Pahl, R.E. 1989 'Is the Emperor Naked?' International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 13(4): 709-20.
  12. Scott, J. 1996 Stratification and Power, Cambridge: Polity.
  13. Tilly, C. 1998 Durable Inequalities, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  14. Wright, E.O. 2000 'Class, Exploitation and Economic Rents: Reflections on Sorensen's "Better Foundations" ', American Journal of Sociology 105(6): 1559-71.

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Authors
Savage, M., Warde, A., & Devine, F.
Affiliations
University of Manchester (GB)
Corresponding author
  • Savage, Mike
  • Warde, Alan
  • Devine, Fiona
ORCID
Venue
The British Journal of Sociology
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2005-03
Volume
56
Issue
1
Pages
31-47
ISSN
  • 0007-1315 (ISSN-L)
  • 1468-4446
DOI
10.1111/j.1468-4446.2005.00045.x
OpenAlex
W2166121377
Cited by
300
References
46
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 29 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 14
FWCI
38.73
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor, 17 d)
Locations
  • British Journal of Sociology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Economic and Social Research Council (RES-577-28-5001)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Cultural Dynamics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Political Economy and Marxism
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Elite Sociology and Global Capitalism
Keywords
Pierre Bourdieu, capital, class inequality, class analysis, habitus, fields, rational choice, Charles Tilly, capital accumulation, exploitation
MeSH terms
Humans, Political Systems, Social Class, Sociology, Capitalism, Resource Allocation

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