Toward a Critical Race Theorization of Cultural Capital for Black Education Studies Research

Abstract

Cultural oppression, as one manifestation of antiblackness in U.S. education, continues to impede Black Americans’ attainment of educational success and sociopolitical equality. Although Bourdieu’s cultural capital framework (CCT) and Critical Race Theory (CRT) have frequently been used to examine such oppression in Black education, research which has directly investigated the viability, theoretical validity, and potential utility of merging these two frameworks for educational research is scant. This article presents the results of a content analysis which was used to explore how CRT might restructure CCT to establish a more pertinent theoretical framework from which to examine the Black educational experience. I demonstrate that their merger is possible only if important alterations are made to many of CCT’s fundamental notions, and I offer three propositions that arise from this merger. These propositions begin to redress CCT’s colorblindness, offer a more precise explanation of the form and functioning of cultural oppression-based (educational) inequality as experienced by Black students and their communities, and can be used for future research in the emerging field of Black Education Studies. Also, they support key contentions about antiblackness in U.S. education and in Afropessimist thought. Implications are discussed, and suggestions for future research and practice are offered.

Plain language summary

Critical race theory and cultural capital: linking two theories of inequality to better understand racism and antiblackness in U.S. schools and society, as experienced by Black students and their communities

Many theories have been used to explain academic “underachievement” among Black students. Sometimes these theories suggest that inequalities in schools themselves are at the root cause of this outcome. Two popular theories which suggest this are cultural capital—which focuses on conflicts between students’ and schools’ cultures, and economics—and Critical Race Theory—which focuses on the idea that racism affects all areas of U.S. society. I analyzed important writings on both theories in order to figure out how they could be brought together to explain the way that culture, racism, and antiblackness (the attempted annihilation of Black humanity and Black life) affects Black students and communities. I used their main arguments to create three ideas about inequality in U.S. schools and society, as experienced by Black students and their communities. These ideas are: (1) “Being white” is a fundamental requirement for receiving the most privilege in U.S. society and schools. This requires that Black people/students be treated in an oppressive manner. (2) Because of racism and antiblackness, it can be economically harder for Black Americans to acquire the cultural items that schools require for success. (3) Because “being white” is a fundamental requirement for receiving the most privilege in U.S. society and schools (which requires that Black people be treated in an oppressive manner), and because Black Americans are by definition and legally “not white,” Black students and their communities will always experience oppressive treatment in U.S. schools—and poor schooling outcomes—and society. The results of this study are important because they help to explain how culture, racism, and antiblackness work together as an oppressive force, can be used by researchers in future studies, and can help each of us to create strategies for reform and resistance.