The Idea of Capital in Bourdieu and Marx

Abstract Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of cultural, social, and symbolic capital have not only enriched sociological theory; they have also clearly established themselves in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research in the human sciences. Against this background, there is a widespread notion that his concept of capital can be understood as a fruitful extension of Karl Marx’s concept of capital. By comparing the essential features of Bourdieu’s and of Marx’s concept, this article refutes the extension thesis, and explains the different methodological standpoints to which their concepts of capital can be traced back.