Using the work of Bourdieu and critical race theory to explore how identity, experience and family background affects how people navigate the social space of the university, this book is underpinned with empirical research that considers different social, economic and educational contexts. Using interview accounts of graduate students, this book highlights ambiguities in how eliteness works as both a recognisable marker of institutional status and a marker that is rarely quantified or defined.
Combining intellectually rigorous, accessible and controversial chapters, Elite Universities and the Making of Privilege is crucial reading for anyone looking to understand how race and class affect those navigating elite universities.
Kalwant Bhopal is Professor of Education and Social Justice and Director of the Centre for Research on Race and Education at the University of Birmingham.
Martin Myers is a sociologist of education in the School of Education at the University of Nottingham.