pupils' class identities and the school

Question 1

what is habitus?

Answer 1

• ‘dispositions’ or learned, taken-for-granted ways of thinking, being and acting that are shared by a particular social class
• includes tastes and preferences about lifestyles and consumption (such as fashion and leisure pursuits), their outlook on life and their expectations about what is normal or realistic for ‘people like us’
• a group’s habitus is formed by its position in the class structure.
• Although one’s class’ habitus is not intrinsically better than another, the m/c has the power to define its habitus as superior and to impose it on the education system
• as a result, the school puts a higher value on m/c tastes, preferences etc
• linked to bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital because the school has m/c habitus, this gives m/c pupils an advantage

Question 2

nike identities

Answer 2

• archer: schools m/c habitus stigmatises w/c pupils identities
• many pupils were conscious that society and schools looked down on them
• this symbolic violence led them to seek alternative ways of creating self-worth, status and value, they did so by constructing meaningless class identities for themselves by investing heavily in styles, especially through consuming branded clothing such as Nike
• styles were heavily policed by peer groups and not cnforming was considered social suicide, approval from peers brought safety and protection from bullying
• this may lead to conflict within school with teachers as this style goes against the m/c habitus of the school, leading individuals being labelled as rebels
• m/c see their ‘nike’ identities as tasteless, to the w/c students it is a way of generating symbolic capital and self-worth

Question 3

nike identities- rejection of higher education

Answer 3

1. unrealistic- it was not for ‘people like us’ but for richer, posher, cleverer people and they would not fit in. it was also seen as unaffordable and a risky investment
2. undesirable- it would not ‘suit’ their preferred lifestyle or habitus- for example, they did not want to live on a student loan because they would be unable to afford the street styles that gave them their identity