Symbolic boundaries in social space

In this methodological article, Jarness demonstrates how Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of social space and Michèle Lamont’s concept of symbolic boundaries can be fruitfully combined in cultural-stratification research. The analysis also shows how Multiple Correspondence Analysis is compatible with other research techniques, such as qualitative in-depth interviews. Focusing on the case of Stavanger, Norway, the analysis details how symbolic boundary drawing takes on different forms along the two primary dimensions of social space: between those endowed with high and low volumes of capital on the one hand, and, on the other, between those endowed with a preponderance of cultural capital and those endowed with a preponderance of economic capital.