Critical Reading: Distinction and the Aristocracy of Culture By Pierre Bourdieu

Bourdieu believes that culture is gained through education and upbringing. He says that surveys have shown that taste in all culture eg theatre, music, museum visits etc all vary depending on education. He also believes cultural levelis measured by qualifications or the length of time an individual has spent in school. He also feels social origing plays a part in how cultured someone is. He believed it can depend on the cultural level of the surroundings one finds themselves in outside of education.
Bourdieu believes that there is almost a league table measuring cultural level just like there is a hierarchy for schools and the arts. He believes that this can define class. The highly cultured being upper class and the less cultured being lower class people.

Culture also has it 'titles of nobility' according to Bourdieu theses titles are awarded by the educational system. He does recognise that there are varying views on cutural nobility and recognises that people believe it is aquired in different ways. Personally I do not believe an education award gives anyone more culture than someone else, all it proves is that they are accedemically minded which does not necessarily cultured.
Bourdieu believes in a 'cultural capital' which can be aquired through education and through the environment they grow up in, I suppose almost in heritted from a parent. I do not agree with Bourdieu's arguement I think he has quite a pompus approach to defining culture. Just because someone went to a private school it does not mean they are more cultured than the next man. Similarly if someones parents has an interest in theatre and all the other activities which are viewed as being highly cultured. It does not gaurantee their child will have the same interests. No doubt upbringing has a huge influence on the adult people grow into but to simplify culture to say it is gained in two main ways in simply untrue.