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Modelling Bourdieusian Social Reproduction Theory

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Abstract

Social reproduction theory claims that the social structure of inequality is the product of unequal distribution of resources. This inequality perpetuates across generations due to the strategies that agents use to maintain and enhance their relative positions in the social space of positions. This study built the triptych model of reproduction of social class to evaluate the social reproduction theory of Bourdieu. The model is consisted of three stages. The first stage explored that the cultural and economic capital are inversely related in the social structure of South Punjab. The second stage analyzed the reproduction of social class. The data supported the intergeneration perpetuation of the dominant class in south Punjab. The study excluded the third stage of mediation models. The study concluded that the structure of unequal distribution of resources perpetuated from one generation to the next. The study suggested that the triptych model of reproduction of social class may be used in the future studies to assess the social reproduction theory of Bourdieu.

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Acknowledgement

This study is a part of PhD thesis of the principal author of this paper.

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Correspondence to Qaisar Khalid Mahmood.

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Farid, S., Abbasi, S.U.R.S. & Mahmood, Q.K. Modelling Bourdieusian Social Reproduction Theory. Soc Indic Res 157, 297–333 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-021-02649-z

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