Analysis of Cultural Reproduction's Impact on Student Mobility

This essay delves into Bourdieu's theory of cultural reproduction, examining its influence on international student mobility. It highlights how the education system perpetuates class inequalities, with cultural capital and the dominance of English acting as key factors. The essay discusses the impact of English as a capital language, creating advantages for those with proficiency and potentially discriminating against others. It explores the historical roots of English's dominance and its implications for students from non-English speaking countries, often leading to cultural adaptation challenges. The analysis further considers how the educational system, while initially intended to strengthen traditional cultures, has, in reality, taken over from such traditions, perpetuating existing power dynamics and inequalities. The essay references relevant literature to support its arguments, including works by Apple, Jæger, Breen, Mazrui, Rukh, and Srivastava et al.

RUNNING HEAD: CULTURAL REPRODUCTION
CULTURAL REPRODUCTION AND INTERNATIONAL STUDENT MOBILITY
Name of Student:
Name of University:
Author Note:

1CULTURAL REPRODUCTION
Bordieu’s theory of cultural reproduction has been instrumental in the generation of a large
number of empirical as well as theoretical literatures. The main significance of the theory is its
focus on the fact that culture, basically is a component of the cognitive learning process, a set of
norms that are transmitted from generation to generation and in the process it sustains the
continuity of a cultural existence (Rukh 2014).
According to Bourdieu, in the society that s highly industrialized, the education system
mainly works as the propagator of the class iniqualities. Success in the education system largely
depends on the possession of cultural capital and of higher-class habitus. He understands that the
trends in mobility of international students are greatly influenced by the cultural reproduction. In
the context of the usage of English as the capital language, it is to be understood that the
assumed supremacy of the language has put itself as a capital language, the knowledge of which
is indispensible to have the accesses to the top ranked universities of the world (.Pherali 2016).
Students, who are otherwise meritorious, but did not have the opportunity of learning English,
are being discriminated by the colleges and the students as well. Thus, Bordieu views the cultural
reproduction as a means of class inequalities in the educational attainment.
As per the theory of cultural capital, Bordieu is of the view that familiarity with the most
dominant culture of the society and the notion that this culture is the culture of the sophisticated
and educated is the basis of the creation of the cultural capital. Bordieu is also of the opinion that
the lowe class people faces a serious disadvantage in getting through the top ranked universities
and thus, the educational system plays a crucial role in manipulating the status quo (Jæger and
Breen 2016)
The supremacy of English as a language of the elites has its root in the colonial history of
the world. The present generation of students who have to move out from their own countries

2CULTURAL REPRODUCTION
and adjust themselves to the lesser vibrant culture, mostly find that they have to replace the
language they were born to speak with another one for their mode of survival. The major shift
towards the white nationalism is, however, not a new fact. It has been observed by various
scholars and common people in general, the standard code of beauty is also measured against the
scale of the English speaking white national community. The top colleges of the world like MIT,
Stanford or University of Penninsylvia, that ranks within the first ten colleges of the world
refuses to have any other medium of teaching other than English. While viewed from a broader
angel, this seems to be discrimination on the lower class, an insight into the incidents will reveal
that this is a capitalist approach to show that the students admitted and passing out from the best
colleges of the world are from high class backgrounds.
According to Bordieu’s cultural reproduction theory, the supremacy or dominance of
English for years since the colonial era has generated a sense of fear mixed honor for the
language. The third world countries particularly, views English as the only resource for a bright
carrier and opportunities in future (Srivastava, Goldberg, Manian and Potts 2018) As a result of
such assumption and practices, the indigenous culture or language of various origin are suffering
distortion or negligence. While the economic condition of the English speaking nations are
comparatively high, the cultural assumption has formed that they are the supreme class. It is
however, true to a great extent in the context that the researches on science and the scientific
journals gets published easily if the writing medium is English. It is argued by many that English
is a common medium of interaction and in order to cope up with a diversified culture in an
international learning institution, a common platform is required and hence, English. However
many view this imposition as “how white supremacy initiates the themes of how ethnicity has to
be cleansed with the recognisability of earned prosperity.”( Mazrui 2019)

3CULTURAL REPRODUCTION
Bordieu’s cultural construct slides from the argument that the educational mechanism
though was initially set to strengthen the traditional cultures, it actually has, in reality taken over
from such traditions (Apple 2017).

4CULTURAL REPRODUCTION
Reference List:
Apple, M.W., 2017. Reproduction and contradiction in education:: an introduction. In Cultural
and economic reproduction in education (pp. 1-31). Routledge.
Jæger, M.M. and Breen, R., 2016. A dynamic model of cultural reproduction. American Journal
of Sociology, 121(4), pp.1079-1115.
Mazrui, A.A., 2019. The Political Sociology of English Language: An African Perspective (Vol.
7). Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG.
Rukh, S.A.M.A.R., 2014. Students’ attitude towards English language learning and academic
achievement: A case of business students in Punjab. European Academic Research, 2(4),
pp.5596-5612.
Srivastava, S.B., Goldberg, A., Manian, V.G. and Potts, C., 2018. Enculturation trajectories:
Language, cultural adaptation, and individual outcomes in organizations. Management Science,
64(3), pp.1348-1364.