Skip to main content
eScholarship
Open Access Publications from the University of California

L2 Journal

L2 Journal bannerUC Berkeley

How Language Teacher Identities Conflict in Light of Bourdieu’s Concepts of Habitus, Capital, and Field

Abstract

Adopting Bourdieu’s (1986, 1977) concepts of  habitusfield , and  capital as a framework, I reflect on my multiple fluid identities as I study, teach, and live within two socially, culturally, and politically distinct places (Iraq and the United States). I examine my privileged and/or marginalized self throughout my journey and the way this privilege/marginalization influences my language teaching and learning experiences. The narratives used in this paper include poems I wrote, my literacy autobiography, and a few Facebook posts. Through my reflection, I provide an example of identity construction of a scholar and a teacher as he inhabits multiple space and places.