The Cultural Capital and Collective Identity: A Survey of Students of Kurdistan University

On the basis of synthetic theoretical viewpoints, identification is a dialectical, two-way process and on the side of factors on major level, the capability of identity reflection depends on the degree of possession of tangible and cultural capital and resources. The present research is an attempt to study the impact of cultural capital on aspects of collective identity of the students of Kurdistan University through synthetic theoretical frameworks. This research is a survey for which 325 students of the Kurdistan University were interviewed. The descriptive findings indicate that the students simultaneously enjoy triad of ethnic, national and cosmopolitan identities. The triad of identities and belongingness to each of these identities is not tantamount to denial and breach of others. The explanatory results indicate that cultural capital, while having significant relations with dimensions of collective identity of students, has different impact on dimensions of identity. In other words, cultural identity has positive correlations with national and cosmopolitan identity, but has negative correlation with ethnic identity. On the basis of regression analysis results, the variable of cultural capital at 0.324, 0.23 and 0.144 respectively explains the variations of the cosmopolitan, ethnic and national identities. Given the high share of cultural capital in epistemological orientations and identity reflection of the students, the following measures seem to be necessary: optimization of cultural activities and extracurricular programs in the university, as a hidden curricular program, encouraging the students to undertake cultural activities, holding different courses and awarding certificates to the students, increasing students’ access to related cultural goods and resources and reviewing the method and policy of selecting local students.