Ethnic Faculty Habitus and Economic Capital: Delineating Latina/o Market Value in the Academy

• In Event: 207 - Section on Sociology of Education Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 11. Status and Belonging in Higher Education

Abstract

How do faculty perceive the accumulative advantage attribute to economic capital ventures in the reward structure for tenure and promotion at their institutions? Ethnic faculty habitual dispositions about the market value of their research productions for tenure and promotion are explored. In accordance with the work of Pierre Bourdieu, I explore the perceived impact economic capital plays at tenure and promotion for Latino/a faculty. Data were drawn from 23 purposely-selected Latino/a faculty housed at 12 Research Institutions in the social sciences. Tape-recorded conversations were analyzed with us of Atlas/ti 4.2. Faculty identified shared habitual dispositions about their peers misrecognition of their monetary contributions. Due to arbitrary relations among hard academic fields in light of academic capitalism, debates over the ability of soft science sub-field topics and methodologies to generate funds are understudied. Vying for credibility in the production of research funds, economic capital received accumulated advantage and symbolic remuneration or veneer prestige status at tenure and promotion. The ability for social science faulty to generate market value assets with their methodologies holds significant implications for new Latina/o faculty at research universities contingent on topic, methods and theories shaping their dispositions. Practical applications are suggested to mentor minority and facilitate retention.

Author

• Eduardo T. Perez, Bridgewater State University