Class identities and the school Flashcards
Define habitus
Learned and taken for granted ways of thinking being and acting shared by social class
What does habitus include?
Tastes and preferneces about lifestyle, outlook on life and expectations about whats normal for people like us
How is a group’s habitus formed?
Response to its position in class struction
Describe MC habitus
more power to define it and impose it on education, school puts higher value on MC tastes and preferences - linked to cultural capital - have advantage inferior WC
Describe symbolic capital
Children who have been socialised gain this and status from school
What is symbolic violence
Devalues WC and is withholding symbolic capial as MC see tastes as tasteless & worthless - inferior reproducing class structure and puts them in their place
How are WC alienated?
Clash between MC and WC habitus
What did Archer say?
WC felt to be successful they needed to change how they talked and presented themselves (losing themselves) unable to access MC’s space not suitable for the likes of us
Why did WC wear brands?
Symbolic violence led to seeking alternative ways of creating self worth so constructed meaningful class identities for themselves investing in styles like Nike
Being me without it they would feel inauthentic
Strongly genedered
What led to conflict with schools dress code?
Opposed street style as it reflected badly on MC habitus - rebels
Describe style suicide
Not conforming, style policed by peers, right style= capital
What did Archer argue?
MC habitus stigmatises WC identities, performance of style are a struggle for recognition - MC see Nike as tasteless, to the young they are means of generating capital
Undesirable for WC
Not for people like us not fit ini unaffordable and risky investment
Undesirable for WC of HE
Not suit preferred lifestyke or habitus didn’t want to live off a student loan
What did rcher el al say?
WC investment in Nike identies is a casue of educational marginalisation but expresses +ive preference for lifestyle
WC chose self elimination
What does Archer’s study say?
relationship between WC identity and failture but some succeed
Describe Ingram’s study
2 WC groups of catholic boy from deprived area of Belfast
1 group - passed 11+ exam went to grammar - strong habitus and expectations
Other went to local with lower expectations
Neighbourhood dense family and friend ntwoek were key feeling of belonging
WC - emphasis on conformity - pressure to fit in =, grammer - tension between school and home habitus
Describe Evan’s study
21WC girl from south London studying alevls and reluctant to apply to Oxbridge due to hidden barriers and not fitting in - not for the likes of us comes from habitus and beliefs about opportunity exclude themselves from elite unis
Strong attachment to locality - 4/21 moved away
What was the consistent pattern in these studies?
MC education devalues choices of WC as worthless and are forcded to choose between mainitaining identities or abadon them to succeed
Relationship between internal and external factors
WC habitus formed out of school may conflict MC habitus = symbolic violence and not for likes of them
WC use restricted code may be labelled leading to self ful-filling prophecy
What did dunne and gazely say?
Interal factor - what teachers believe about WC home backgorunds produce underachievement
