Wall Street banking firms are powerful. This immense amount of power privileges their ability to control certain resources within society as well as the behavior of specific individuals (Bourdieu and Eagleton 1994, 270). One of Wall Street's dominant ideologies, the “culture of intelligence,” represents the “symbolic power” that these banking companies possess (Ho 2009, 40, Bourdieu and Eagleton 1994, 266). Not based on the intrinsic abilities nor on the “natural aptitudes” of individuals, the “culture of intelligence” is a socially constructed concept that allows banking companies to define what is legitimate and valuable (Bourdieu 1986, 243, Ho 2009, 40, Bourdieu and Eagleton 1994, 269). Attributes of the “culture of intelligence,” such as “the sense of 'impressionability,' eliteness, or peak status and competence,” are acquired through the accumulation of cultural capital (Ho 2009, 40, Bourdieu 1986). Banking firms draw on the cultural capital previously accumulated by recruits, as well as the considerable increase in social and cultural capital conferred by working in an investment bank, in order to attract individuals who can subsequently be exploited for gains not only in economic capital, but also cultural capital. Investment banks recruit heavily at “Harvard and Princeton” because they are considered “the 'prime recruiting ground'” for finance (Ho 2009, 43). Graduates of these two Ivy League universities are considerably sought after because of the institutionalized cultural capital they have gained by attending a highly selective and prestigious university (Bourdieu 1986, 243). Institutionalized cultural capital refers to the “objectification of cultural capital in the form of academic qualifications” (Bourdieu 1986, 247). It is used to...... middle of paper ......nship with investment banks based on the "intelligence" of that bank's employees (Ho 2009, 71). In conclusion, investment banks constructed the “culture of intelligence” as a means to ensure students had the greatest amount of cultural capital that would provide the greatest return in the form of economic and cultural capital for the banking firm (Ho 2009 , 40).Works CitedBourdieu, Pierre. 1986. “The Forms of Capital.” In Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education, edited by J. G. Richardson, 241-258. New York: Greenwood Press. Bourdieu, Pierre. 1990. Outline of a Theory of Practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Bourdieu, Pierre and Terry Eagleton. 1994. “Doxa and Common Life: An Interview.” In the mapping of ideology. London: Verso.Ho, Karen. 2009. “Liquidated: An Ethnography of Wall Street.” In, 1-121. Duke University Press.