Challenging the assumptions of social entrepreneurship education and repositioning it for the future: wonders of cultural, social, symbolic and economic capitals
ISSN: 1750-8614
Article publication date: 27 January 2023
Issue publication date: 11 April 2023
Abstract
Purpose
Social entrepreneurship education (SEE) is gaining increasing attention globally. This paper aims to focus on how SEE may be better understood and reconfigured from a Bourdieusian capital perspective with an emphasis on the process of mobilising and transforming social entrepreneurs’ cultural, social, economic and symbolic resources.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on qualitative research with a sample of social entrepreneurship educators and mentors, the authors generate insights into the significance of challenging assumptions and establishing values and principles and hence that of developing a range of capitals (using the Bourdieusian notion of capital) for SEE.
Findings
The findings highlight the significance of developing a range of capitals and their transformative power for SEE. In this way, learners can develop dispositions for certain forms of capitals over others and transform them to each other in becoming reflexive social agents.
Originality/value
The authors respond to the calls for critical thinking in entrepreneurship education and contribute to the field by developing a reflexive approach to SEE. The authors also make recommendations to educators, who are tasked with implementing such an approach in pursuit of raising the next generations of social entrepreneurs.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The research underpinning this paper was originally supported by a seed funding grant by the Higher Education Entrepreneurship Group of SEEDA (South East England Development Agency).
Citation
Karatas-Ozkan, M., Ibrahim, S., Ozbilgin, M., Fayolle, A., Manville, G., Nicolopoulou, K., Tatli, A. and Tunalioglu, M. (2023), "Challenging the assumptions of social entrepreneurship education and repositioning it for the future: wonders of cultural, social, symbolic and economic capitals", Social Enterprise Journal, Vol. 19 No. 2, pp. 98-122. https://doi.org/10.1108/SEJ-02-2022-0018
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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