Cultural Socialization in Black Middle-Class Families

Abstract

While cultural capital is broadly documented as an important mechanism of class reproduction, there is less understanding of cultural capital within black middle-class families. This paper addresses this gap in knowledge by exploring how black middle-class parents approach their children’s socialization in the fine arts. Drawing on in-depth interviews with black middle-class parents, I develop a conceptual framework outlining how such parents adopt a concerted cultivation approach to their children’s socialization in visual art. I outline how rather than leaving their children’s artistic tastes and preferences to develop without their intervention, some black middle-class parents actively nurture their children’s appreciation and understanding of fine art by arranging for them to attend exhibitions and activities at arts organizations, and by involving them in art collecting. By elaborating how black middle-class parents socialize their children in fine art, this paper contributes to a richer understanding of cultural capital within black middle-class families, and highlights how Pierre Bourdieu’s research on cultural capital is relevant for a minority middle-class group.