Applying Bourdieu’s Analysis of Children’s World through the New Sociology of Childhood

Abstract: Research with children was always under question, until the new social studies of childhood emerged. Children, who used to be seen as unimportant parts of research, are now seen as important as adults. French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, have introduced the concepts of Field, capital and Habitus among us. It is worth seeing, that if these work among children as well. The primary objective of this project is to examine the concept of Bourdieusian analysis of Habitus and capitals in children’s world, how they are depicted in children’s own versions, how they are different from the adults, how they design their own society, how they combat with adult versions of thinking etc; with a comparison between children belonging to middle class and lower class. Children's narratives reveal the significant impact of capitals and habituses on their lives, with differences based on family economic position. Children express pleasure, anger, love, happiness, and grievance, generating different types of capitals in various fields. The Bengali ethnicity is expressed as symbolic capital in their habitus. Children's tastes and cultural capitals create distinctions and set their position among adults and peer groups.