This ethnographic case study of a male Hmong refugee, Vue Lang, is situated against a backdrop that is characterized by a burgeoning immigrant population in the United States and a growing need to provide them with English language instruction. The Bourdieusian concepts of "capital", "habitus", and "field" (Bourdieu, 1991) are used to explicate Vue Lang's development while enrolled in a community English as a second language (ESL) project. By drawing on data sources that included videotaped classroom lessons, field notes, and written artefacts, I demonstrate how, over the course of 6 months, he developed participation, curricular, and institutional competence. The article closes with implications for both practice and research. For classroom practice, it suggests the need for teachers to (a) facilitate habitus transformation, (b) be aware that the ESL classroom is a site of cultural politics, and (c) tap the personal experiences of learners by bringing the outside in (Baynham, 2005). For policy and research, this study highlights the importance of using case studies to trace the trajectories of language learners. (Contains 1 footnote.)