The making of an egalitarian elite: school ethos and the production of privilege

Abstract

Research on privilege and education often focuses on institutions that are elite in a rather traditional way, for example schools that instruct the children of the upper classes according to a reproductive logic that reinforces existing inequalities. The present article addresses the fostering of advantage from the angle of a more ambiguous case. The Global College, a municipal Swedish upper secondary school specialized in environmental issues and global justice, offers an empirical prism for discussing the cultivation of elite identification through the formative potential of an egalitarian ethos. The relation between ethics and class is examined, not only in terms of how moral stands are classed, but also by investigating into the productive capacities of such orientation. Through extensive ethnographic fieldwork, the study unfolds how a possible tension between egalitarianism and elitism resolves into a productive relation whereby the students' incarnation of ethico-political ideals becomes a means for developing agency, confidence, entrepreneurial skills and an overall sense of ease.

To be, or not to be elite, that is the question: the unresolved identity struggles of ex-consultants

“…It could be argued that by following their 'higher calling', they mobilized a new and softer form of elitism based on 'moral superiority'. This moral superiority rested upon an elevated ethos of pursuing social justice, ecological sustainability or more equality, thereby contributing to societal wellbeing (Törnqvist 2019). Interestingly, as this study indicates, in the pursuit of these societal ideals, people simultaneously strive for powerful positions, demand respect from the outside world, look down on others with lower moral standards, and thus re-activate their (old) elite status, which induces ongoing internal struggles.…”

“…As this paper claims, even when people distance themselves from elite aspirations and opt for a more egalitarian world ethos which promotes modesty and unpretentionsness (Krauz-Lahav and Kemp 2020;Tan 2008;Törnqvist 2019), their desire for a sense of significance remains a continuous lifetime project towards self-completion (Del Corso and Rehfuss 2011). Therefore, even if elite identity constructions are conflicted and tension-ridden, people will continue to strive for an 'ideal' selfimage across their entire career and life journey, which may also explain why identity struggles around elitism remain unresolved and ongoing.…”

If It Were Not Exceptional, We Wouldn’t Have Chosen It: Institutional Habitus of Two Nursery Schools

“…Both the facility and the parents thereby show that clothing is not important. The soiled clothes of the Forest children are perceived similarly to the second-hand clothes of Global College student researched by Törnqvist (2018); they signify shared values.…”

“…These studies showed how the family habitus intersects with the institutional one; regardless of personal abilities and performance, this intersection forms a student's university aspirations and self-conception. Other research studying the reproduction of elites at prestigious US colleges had a similar focus (Khan, 2011;Törnqvist, 2018). But the institutional habitus of a school is not a sum of social status of its students.…”

Contested ease: Negotiating contradictory modes of elite distinction in face‐to‐face interaction

“…2016). Qualitative and quantitative studies also show that these schools formally and informally prepare students for future elite positions in various ways (Holmqvist, 2017; Törnqvist, 2019), not least by crafting “ambitions” to apply for prestigious educations and jobs (Bygren & Rosenqvist, 2020).…”