Higher Education, Social Class and Social Mobility

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxi

   PDF

2. The Degree Generation: Higher Education and Social Class

   • Ann-Marie Bathmaker, Jessie Abrahams, Richard Waller, Nicola Ingram, Anthony Hoare, Harriet Bradley

   Pages 1-19

3. Researching Class and Higher Education

   • Ann-Marie Bathmaker, Jessie Abrahams, Richard Waller, Nicola Ingram, Anthony Hoare, Harriet Bradley

   Pages 21-32

4. Two Universities, One City

   • Ann-Marie Bathmaker, Jessie Abrahams, Richard Waller, Nicola Ingram, Anthony Hoare, Harriet Bradley

   Pages 33-52

5. Getting In

   • Ann-Marie Bathmaker, Jessie Abrahams, Richard Waller, Nicola Ingram, Anthony Hoare, Harriet Bradley

   Pages 53-71

6. Fitting In and Getting On

   • Ann-Marie Bathmaker, Jessie Abrahams, Richard Waller, Nicola Ingram, Anthony Hoare, Harriet Bradley

   Pages 73-97

7. Getting Out

   • Ann-Marie Bathmaker, Jessie Abrahams, Richard Waller, Nicola Ingram, Anthony Hoare, Harriet Bradley

   Pages 99-122

8. Narratives of Class and ‘Race’

   • Ann-Marie Bathmaker, Jessie Abrahams, Richard Waller, Nicola Ingram, Anthony Hoare, Harriet Bradley

   Pages 123-143

9. Conclusions

   • Ann-Marie Bathmaker, Jessie Abrahams, Richard Waller, Nicola Ingram, Anthony Hoare, Harriet Bradley

   Pages 145-158

10. Back Matter

    Pages 159-188

    PDF

This book explores higher education, social class and social mobility from the point of view of those most intimately involved: the undergraduate students. It is based on a project which followed a cohort of young undergraduate students at Bristol's two universities in the UK through from their first year of study for the following three years, when most of them were about to enter the labour market or further study. The students were paired by university, by subject of study and by class background, so that the fortunes of middle-class and working-class students could be compared. Narrative data gathered over three years are located in the context of a hierarchical and stratified higher education system, in order to consider the potential of higher education as a vehicle of social mobility.

• University
• Middle-class
• Working-class
• Polytechnic
• Redbrick
• Bristol
• education
• higher education
• mobility

“Higher Education, Social Class and Social Mobility. The Degree Generation presents a fascinating account of an original and ambitious research project. While drawing on relevant theory, it is written in an accessible manner and engages closely with the policy context. As such, it deserves to be read widely – not only by those conducting research in this area but also by policymakers and all of us who work in higher education who have an interest in promoting social equality.” (Rachel Brooks, British Journal of Educational Studies, December 16, 2018)



“This book is a welcome and very timely contribution to our understanding of the complex relationship between social mobility and higher education in England. … The Bourdieusian conceptual schema is a key theoretical underpinning of the book, with the research drawing extensively upon the concepts of habitus, capital and field.” (Andrew Morrison, International Studies in Sociology of Education, Vol. 26 (03), October, 2017)

“Bathmaker et al. present a fascinating piece of scholarship. … this is an elegant read and a book that is thought provoking in all the right ways.” (Garth Stahl, International Studies in Sociology of Education, Vol. 26 (03), October, 2017)

“This book is essential reading for all those concerned about inequalities in higher education. Richly theorised and beautifully written, the book captures and sustains the reader's interest through a rich tapestry of qualitative research that weaves together the lived experiences of young people in higher education with an authoritative macro account of wider issues of identity, social justice, and class. It combines a reflexive ethnography of the way class works in universities, and beyond, with the powerful and provocative message that a university degree is no longer enough to redress social class inequalities.” (Professor Diane Reay, University of Cambridge, UK)

“This book provides an important focus on issues central to widening participation, setting out new insights that will interest both academics and practitioners. As a policy area widening participation continues to bring to light divergent views and with this book the Paired Peers researchers add a strong and authoritative voice to the debate.” (Professor Les Ebdon, Director, UK Office for Fair Access)

• School of Education, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom

  Ann-Marie Bathmaker

• School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom

  Nicola Ingram

• School of Education (S Block), University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom

  Jessie Abrahams

• Educational Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom

  Anthony Hoare

• School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom

  Richard Waller

• Faculty of Business and Law, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom

  Harriet Bradley

Ann-Marie Bathmaker is Professor of Vocational and Higher Education at the University of Birmingham, UK. 


Nicola Ingram is Lecturer in Education and Social Justice at Lancaster University, UK. 



Jessie Abrahams is a PhD student in the School of Social Sciences at Cardiff University, UK. 



Tony Hoare was Director of Research in Widening Participation, University of Bristol, UK, from 2006 till 2015.




Richard Waller is Associate Professor of the Sociology of Education at the University of the West of England, UK. 



Harriet Bradley is Professor of Women’s Employment at the University of the West of England, UK and Professor Emerita at Bristol University, UK.

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