Educational capital as a catalyst for upward social mobility amongst British Asians: a three-generational analysis

This paper is based on research that examined intergenerational dynamics amongst British South Asians regarding education and family life. The study investigated the perspectives of grandparents, parents and young people to establish how family attributes and education were
perceived by these three groups. The methods used to gather data were focus groups and individual interviews. These were complemented by digital ethnography, which involved using photographs taken by the young people for reflection during interviews. Drawing on Bourdieu, Putnam and Coleman’s theses of cultural and social capitals, the paper forwards the concept of educational capital, as the findings suggest a high emphasis on the acquisition of educational capital for upward social mobility amongst all groups.