During my third year teaching at Carleton, I was at a small dinner party with other faculty and staff. The conversation during dinner centered on NPR shows, wine, and Western classical music--topics that I wasn't too familiar with. I felt like I had little to contribute to the discussion. I attributed this disconnect to my experiences growing up in my middle-class, Indian immigrant family. I didn't know what NPR (National Public Radio) was until graduate school; my parents did not drink alcohol at home; and the only real experience I had with Western classical music was the required music appreciation course I had to take in high school. While my family had enough economic capital (money!) to ensure that my brother and I never had to worry about food or clothes or support for our undergraduate studies, growing up in my family did not give me access to particular kinds of cultural capital that my White, middle and upper class dinner partners valued and shared at that party.
- Anita Chikkatur
- Anita Chikkatur