CLASS IDENTITY

CLASS IDENTITY & THE SCHOOL

SYMBOLIC CAPITAL& SYMBOLIC VIOLENCE

CLASS IDENTITY& SELF- EXCLUSION (EVANS)

'NIKE' IDENTITIES

ARCHER ET AL -pupils form class identities outside school that then interact with values promoted at school- affects pupils’ achievement.

HABITUS= learnt ways of thinking, being & acting that are shared by a social class. includes tastes & preferences about lifestyle

m/c have power in society to define their habitus as superior & impose it onto the education system who then promotes middle class values as the norm. gives them advantage in school

m/c gain symbolic capital (status) from school as their habitus is promoted there

w/c- seen as worthless--> receive symbolic violence- leads to educational failure. therefore, see school as an unnatural environment.

Archer et al found that w/c students thought they'd have to change to be successful in education.

studied a group of high achieving w/c girls who were reluctant to apply to Oxbridge had a sense of not fitting in.

because w/c habitus (which is part of their identity) made them believe top unis aren't for them. leads w/c students to exclude themselves from elite universities.

found that the girls had a strong attachment to their locality

-w/c students thought society & school looked down on them.
-This symbolic violence made them look for alt. ways to create self-worth & status. they created class identities through styles- wearing branded clothing e.g. Nike

identies were heavily gendered e.g. girls adopted hyper-heterosexual feminine style. it went against dress code- were seen as rebels by teachers.

schools promoted m/c habitus which then stigmatised w/c pupils identities

they started to reject higher education- saw it as incompatible with their lifestyle.
saw going to uni as:
Unrealistic – thought they would not fit in.
Undesirable – wouldn't suit their preferred habitus

W/C IDENTITY & ACHIEVEMENT-INGRAM

studied 2 groups of w/c Catholic boys from same neighbourhood.

boys’ w/c identity linked to living in w/c locality- based on a close network of friends & family- had a strong w/c habitus- linked to branded sportswear (similar to Archer’s study)

One group passed their 11+ exam and went to grammar school that had a strong m/c habitus- the boys experienced tension bet. their w/c habitus & m/c habitus of the school.