Reconceptualizing Social Capital Theory: Life Stories of Kazakhstani Youth From Rural or Lower Socioeconomic Backgrounds

• In Event: Bourdieusian Contexts and Cases in Teaching and Technology

Abstract

Social capital critically shapes employment opportunities and social mobility of youth. Little is known, however, about how marginalized youth use social capital to pursue education and career aspirations, particularly in countries with developing higher education systems. Drawing on life history narratives of prestigious university graduates from rural or lower socioeconomic backgrounds in Kazakhstan, my research examines how the graduates use social capital in pursuing their education and career. This research will make significant theoretical contributions to higher education studies by challenging the centrality of western notions about social capital while highlighting circumstances that improve retention and employment of marginalized youth.

Author

• Zhuldyz Amankulova, University of Minnesota