Cultural Capital and Creative Communication (Routledge Studies in Social and Political Thought)

Inspired by Bourdieu’s thought, this book explores the notion of cultural capital, offering insights into its various definitions, its evolution and the critical theories that engage with it.

Designed for use by students and teachers, it addresses the limitations and expansion of Bourdieu's theory of capital and power, considering the relationship between cultural, social and human capital, the distinctions between capital and capitalism, and the conflicts that exist among theories that have emerged in response to – or can be brought to bear on – Bourdieu’s work. Engaging with the thought of Max Weber, Fernand Braudel, Daniel Bell, Herbert Marcuse, Jean Baudrillard, Theodore Adorno, Max Horkheimer and Gilles Lipovetsky, Cultural Capital and Creative Communication represents the first book to develop a field of research and study that is devoted to cultural capital.

Richly illustrated with empirical examples and offering assessment exercises, it will appeal not only to scholars and students of sociology, philosophy and social theory, but also to corporate communities who seek to develop training modules on the increase of their cultural capital.

Oana Şerban teaches Modern Philosophy and Aesthetics at the University of Bucharest, Romania, as titular professor of the Department of Practical Philosophy and History of Philosophy and of the UNESCO Chair in Interculturality, Good Governance and Sustainable Development. She is the Executive Director of CCIIF – The Research Center for the History and Circulation of Philosophical Ideas (UB). She has authored Artistic Capitalism (2016) and After Thomas Kuhn. The Structure of Aesthetic Revolutions (2022) and co-edited different volumes of philosophy, culture and aesthetics. Around 30 academic articles and studies reflect her interest in the following main areas of expertise: Aesthetics, Modern and Political Philosophy, History of Philosophy, Biopolitics, History of Art, Cultural Heritage. Currently, she is exploring the biopolitical potential of modern art, in her latest study, published in the volume Philosophy and Film: Bridging Divides (ed. Christina Rawls, Diana Neiva, Steven Gouveia) (Routledge, 2019).