Understanding and Leveraging Familial Capital

Familial capital is one of the forms of capital included in the Community Cultural Wealth framework developed by Tara J. Yosso. Cultural capital has focused on the knowledge and skills that members of privileged classes have possessed and passed on in privileged societies. In juxtaposition to this, the Community Cultural Wealth framework acknowledges the broad range of knowledge, skills, and abilities that people minoritized due to ethnicity/race use to survive and thrive in systems that are not designed for their access and success. Drawing on data from a larger study aimed at understanding the Community Cultural Wealth that physics graduate students in bridge programs utilize in their educational experiences, we aim to elucidate the idea of familial capital as conceptualized by Yosso. In particular, we illustrate familial capital as cultural knowledges that are nurtured by familia (or kin) that support graduate students during challenges in their educational journey. We also illustrate that familia extends beyond the immediate family to those within one's community with shared values and experiences. Finally, we offer suggestions for how physics graduate programs might acknowledge and leverage familial capital.