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Updated: Sep 1, 2025

Interactive and Visualized Online Experimentation System for Engineering Education and Research
Published on: November 24, 2021
How do you play that makerspace game? An ethnographic exploration of the habitus of engineering makerspaces
Melissa W Alemán1, Megan E Tomko2, Julie S Linsey3
1School of Communication Studies, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807 USA.
Abstract:
Drawing upon Bourdieu's conceptualization of habitus, this ethnographic study explores the cultural bases guiding engineering makerspaces at a public university in the United States. Students carry forms of capital that impact their entry into these learning spaces, over time becoming disciplined in the "game" of makerspaces as they accumulate capital through everyday talk and storytelling. Communication constructs the makerspace habitus as students (1) move from outsider to insider as they acquire forms of capital; (2) negotiate a habitus characterized by tensions of access vs. exclusivity; (3) learn to use the vocabularies of innovation and creativity; and (4) cultivate supportive making communities. Findings point to the critical role of intentional communication and space design in cultivating inclusive makerspace cultures.
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