Oppression, Resistance and Authority: Bourdieu’s ‘Cultural Capital’ in Translated Indian Short Stories

Abstract

A society comprises of some norms and practices that contribute to a civilised living and they become culture over a period of time. Some cultural practices however are a veiled attempt and reinforcement of subjugation of a certain section of people. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how social and cultural norms sanctions some people to exercise their authority over others. In this context Pierre Bourdieu, a French sociologist has propounded 'Cultural Capital'- a theoretical concept that examines hegemony as a part of cultural norms. The selected short stories reflect everyday social hierarchies that are based on caste, class and gender leading to social exclusion of few. Using Bourdieu’s concept, this article analyses four translated short stories that throw a light on how a section of people dominate others due to some cultural practices and the dominated are expected to obey, failing which results in social ostracization. Bourdieu’s conceptual approach helps to understand the mechanism through which power is authorized and resistance is restrained. Since this practice is a culture, the class of society that is subjugated remains marginalised resulting in socio-economic disparity, along with class-divide and other issues related to it and the most prominent being dominance on one side and oppression on the other.