In the classic economic view, capital is simple: it’s money, property, or financial assets. But the French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu (1930–2002) radically expanded this idea. In his seminal 1986 essay, “The Forms of Capital,” he argued that capital is not just economic—it is any resource that gives power, status, or advantage in social life. To truly understand inequality and social reproduction (how the rich and powerful stay that way), we must look at how different forms of capital interact and convert into one another.