Sociology and Social Science || Assignment

Running head: SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Sociology and Social Science
Name of the Student:
Name of University:
Author Note

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SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Using Bourdieu’s cultural reproduction theory, critically assess current trends in
international student mobility.
More and more people are deciding to study abroad. Many claim to be very beneficial
for the confidence, but more importantly, it can be very beneficial for their professional
careers, especially if they study in countries where the official language is English. English,
today, can be associated with symbolic value and can be considered as a form of cultural
capital. However, according to Bourdieu and his theory of cultural reproduction, this may
have a less beneficial impact for others, since English language could give rise to social
inequalities. It is possible to assess current trends in international student mobility with this
idea in mind. Firstly, drawing on Bourdieu theory of cultural reproduction, I will explain how
parents who have the means, and an educational institution of international recognition
promote the learning of English language to their children as a tool of great utility, not only to
guarantee access to the best universities of the world, but also for their professional
development in future. However, this brings me to the second point of this essay, practice
brings inequalities, worldwide. People who do not have opportunities to learn English are
somehow discriminated by the institutions which are among the top rankings. Further,
international scholarships could not only be holding back development of countries in global
south, but also reinforces dominance and supremacy of English as a language, especially in
the universities which use it as a teaching.
According to Bourdieu, in his theory of cultural reproduction, there is a relationship
between original class membership and ultimate class membership. This relationship is
developed by the education system (Bourdieu, 1976). According to Bourdieu, the

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SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
socioeconomic position of the parents make it clear about the opportunities of life which their
children will have in future. Young couples, with higher education, who provide income at
home, organize their lives to have one or few children so that they have opportunities to
afford an education similar to what they had. It draws contrast with the under privileged
couples who are less educated and have incomes lower than others. They tend to have more
children, whom they may not be able to provide quality education, guarantying a different
and more privileged life as compared to their parents (Smeeding et al, 2011). In countries
where the official language is not English, privileged couples of this century have understood
that a way to transfer cultural capital to their children is through investing on learning English
language. In many countries, there are private schools of bilingual education, where children,
from a very young age, are educated in the official language of the country as well as in
English. As a result, these young people at the end of school are ready for higher education,
opting for a wide range of opportunities in the best universities across the globe.
In a qualitative and cross-cultural research study carried out by the Macrothink
Institute, it has been found out that English language has a symbolic value and to many, it
represents cultural capital. Perhaps, due to colonization, neo colonization, globalization and
hence, migration, English is no longer the language of the whites or of British origin. People
from all ethnicities and cultures, whether native or not, are interested in its domain. English
has, thus, become the language of all people. English, nowadays, is a form of personal
development. Learning English, could be, identified as an investment made in a commodity
of great value, due to the basic utilities associated with it, in a modern and globalized world.
It has, thus, taken a form of cultural capital. Those who made the decision to study English
language, related it to their technological advancement, better economic and professional
opportunities as compared to those who do not choose the same (Malik and Mohamed, 2014)