Identity Work by First-Generation College Students to Counteract Class-Based Microaggressions

Abstract

Using an interactional approach to studying organizations, we explore how social class differences alone and coupled with racial minority status generate identity threats for first-generation college students who are already underprivileged with respect to educational attainment. For these students the markers of social class are omnipresent and, like racial minorities, they experience microaggressions that require them to engage in identity work to counter these threats. We detail manifestations of social class differences on and off campus and identify the kinds of microaggressions these students encounter including those generated by the intersection of race and class that can destabilize students’ identities and lead to what we refer to as “identity collapse.” Our results also reveal four types of identity work including mining core identity strength, passing (via dodging and code switching), and developing peer support networks that allow some first-generation students to be resilient in responding to identity threats. We consider the implications of this class work for first-to-college students and offer suggestions for future research that expands our work to workplace organizations and inquires about the potential lasting effects of social class stigma.

“Dropping Out is Not an Option”: How Educationally Resilient First-Generation Students See the Future

“…Rita, an 18‐year‐old white FGCS from a rural area, also envied FGCS of color for getting support from ethnic student organizations on campus. Other scholars (Gray, Johnson, Kish‐Gephart, & Tilton, ; Stuber, ) have described the assets and liabilities of race and class for low‐income white students. On the one hand, they blend easily with their more affluent peers, but on the other hand, they experience class‐based microaggressions from peers, professors, and staff.…”

Connections and Collaboration—Celebrating the Contributions of Barbara Gray

“…Finally, these themes extend into Barbara's work on gender and racial minorities, including understanding the influence of diversity networks (Mollica et al., ; Ren, Gray, & Harrison, ) and the experiences of those with multiple marginalized identities (i.e., intersectionality; Gray et al., ). Barbara has also drawn on feminist theorizing to critically examine collaboration and negotiation theories and practices (Gray, , ).…”

“…Although anecdotal, it is telling that back in 2009, Barbara and I were unable to find just four social class papers to include in a symposium conference proposal. Since the publication of the “Class Work” paper, however, we have been encouraged by the amount of newly published work (Gray, Johnson, Kish‐Gephart, & Tilton, ; Kish‐Gephart & Campbell, ; Martin, Côté, & Woodruff, ; Scully, Rothenberg, Beaton, & Tang, ) and growing interest in the topic (as evidenced by the number of faculty and PhD students we have met who are now actively working in this area). In addition, and perhaps more importantly, taking this journey with Barbara has yielded many (treasured) personal and professional insights.…”

Negotiating a Sense of Fit in Elite Higher Education: Exploring the Identity Work of “Widening Participation” Students

“…In other words, they feel that the way they perceive and understand themselves differs from the external expectations of students attached to elite HE institutions. For instance, individuals feel that they have fewer academic skills than other students (Stephens et al, 2019;O'Sullivan et al, 2019) and that their level of preparation for university classes does not measure up to that of their more privileged peers (see Gray et al, 2018). Furthermore, they feel that they lack pertinent cultural skills (see Ostrove, 2003;Aries 2008;Torres, 2009) and capabilities such as independent learning styles (Stephens, Townsend & Dittmann, 2019) and discipline and focus, which are highly valued in elite HE settings (Leathwood, 2001).…”

“…The existing literature shows how WP students who enter new HE settings withdraw to the margins of their institutions (Reay, 2018), drop out of the system altogether (Lehmann, 2007;Crawford, 2014), play down their sociocultural background (Gray et al, 2018) or feel the need to assimilate (Lee & Kramer, 2013;Lehmann, 2009). Less is known about how these individuals negotiate a sense of fit in their new institutions, and how their approach to negotiating fit is mediated by the particular organisation's discourses and practices.…”