Karl Shuve: Jerome's Ascetic Practice and the Logic of Cultural Capital

This paper examines how Pierre Bourdieu's theory of capital might deepen our understanding of Jerome of Stridon's self-presentation as an ascetic expert--first, during a brief stint in Rome, and later during a long self-imposed exile in the Holy Land. In particular, Bourdieu's notion of cultural capital, both in its embodied and institutionalized forms, helps us to appreciate Jerome's ambivalent attitude to his own classical education, which he simultaneously repents of and makes central to his identity. I will argue that for Jerome, ascetic expertise served to enhance the cultural capital that he had accrued by the conventional means of education, allowing him access to wealthy and influential patrons and giving him unique grounds from which to confront challengers within the church.