CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL CAREERS - THE DYNAMICS OF SOCIAL REPRODUCTION

Using data from the Surveys of Public participation in the Arts conduc ted in 1982, 1985, and 1992, we analyze the relationship between cultu ral careers and educational careers. Drawing on ideas of cultural repr oduction (Bourdieu) and cultural mobility (DiMaggio), we formulate two competing sets of hypotheses regarding the importance of ''high brow' ' cultural capital at different ages on the likelihood of making parti cular educational transitions. We find that cultural capital plays a s trong role in determining school success. The effects of parental cult ural capital, cultural participation before age 12, and cultural parti cipation between ages 12 to 17 and 18 to 24 are largely independent an d have enduring effects across the educational career. All cultural ef fects decline over the course of the educational career. The context o f participation is significant-cultural participation in school has le ss of an effect on educational success than does participation elsewhe re. Generally, we find stronger support for the cultural mobility mode l, although social reproduction still governs the most important educa tional transition-entering college.