The Subjective Side of Convertibility

Existing research on convertibility often focuses on the objective aspect of convertibility, while its subjective side remains under-theorized. This study highlights the contribution of subjective interpretation to a deeper understanding of convertibility. The research is based on in-depth interviews with former conscripts in the Israel Defense Forces, who served in the Intelligence Corps and various combat units. Based on Bourdieu’s theory of practice, the findings disclose that the former conscripts perceive the potential for convertibility based on their interpretation of the capital they acquired during their military service. Their interpretation unveiled a distinction between the “private self” and the “occupational self.” I argue that while the field dictates the objective value of the capital, and there is structural alignment between the military and civilian fields, convertibility is not an automatic process, but a mediated process in which habitus functions as an interpretive lens through which individuals evaluate convertibility.