Pierre Bourdieu was a French philosopher, sociologist, and anthropologist who came up with the concepts of habitus, cultural capital, and field. These concepts are ones that we tend to follow but may not realize we are following. So when relating these theories to our future experiences while studying abroad, we will be able to bring in a new perspective that will allow us to be more conscientious when living and studying in a new culture.
Habitus is defined by the subconscious way in which one acts, as determined by one’s cultural norms and experiences. Cultural capital is the skills one has that helps determine one’s value in certain fields, fields being the situations one finds oneself in. All of these combined amount to practice, or the application of each of these concepts, which results in the behavior and self-presentation that we show to the world.
American habitus, as one would expect, is different from habitus in Italy, and to travel there thinking that they would be the same would be willful ignorance. When one has lived in the same country for their entire life, they become so accustomed to that country’s habitus and cultural capital that they do not actively have to think about whether they are behaving correctly according to their country’s expectations. But when travelling to a foreign country, such as Italy, it is important to, at the very least, research the cultural expectations and values of that country.
One of the biggest differences that we will