Examining the Role of Employed Identity Markers in the Forms of Capital

The paper investigates the significance of Employed Identity Markers (EIMs) in the array of cultural and social capital and their conversion into other social forms of capital, using the logic of Pierre Bourdieu. The EIMs, such as “As a truck driver…” or “As a grad student…”, are examples of expressions that individuals use to establish their identity and at the same time, to validate their next statements. This theoretical study is aimed at analyzing how these markers are linked by Bourdieu's concepts of embodied, objectified, and institutionalized cultural capital to EIMs which, thereby, facilitate social connections, build social capital, and perform the transformation between different capitals.My analysis describes EIMs productivity in fortifying the statements’ authenticity and the boost of the speakers to the authoritative level. EIMs are demonstrated to have multiple functions, including justifying the speaker's knowledge and enhancing the rhetorical quality of their speech. The present research uncovers the intricacies of the application of identity markers in different contexts which gives valuable insight into social statuses and pathways, especially within the framework of cultural and social capital.