Elite education and everyday encounters: Examining the multiple dimensions of privilege in young people's lives

Abstract

This thesis examines the operation of systems of privilege in place, drawing on the experiences and identities of young people who attend elite private schools. Privilege, particularly in the context of elite education has become a significant area of research. This work sits alongside research which centres on understanding how social structures shape the lives of more disadvantaged young people. It is argued that to mark and name privilege denaturalises assumptions and normalisations. Therefore, by examining young people’s lived realities through the lens of privilege, the reproduction and performance of privilege through multiple dimensions is demonstrated. This research takes the position that while education is the access point to engage young people in the research, it is important to look beyond the school gates to understand how privilege shapes everyday life. Thus, the focus on young people’s everyday encounters and practices is central to this thesis. The literature base for this thesis draws on interdisciplinary bodies of knowledge. The geographies of privilege is a growing area of interest, but much relevant work on privilege comes from sociology and education. Principles of the ‘new social studies of childhood’ approach underpin this research. Young people are acknowledged to be experts on their own lives, and the social and cultural construction of childhood is recognised to allow nuanced understandings of the pluralities of childhood. To do this necessitates that privileged groups experiences and identities are studied. Part of this study requires consideration of the reproduction and enactment of privilege through the process of socialisation. Spatialised elements are also critical to understanding the nuances of multiple dimensions of privilege. From a theoretical perspective, Bourdieu’s insights on education and power, including the concepts of capital and habitus provide a language to discuss how privilege is reproduced. Therefore, arguably, performances of privilege, which contribute to its reproduction, are evident in the taken-for-granted practices of everyday life. The central objective of the thesis is to examine the lived realities and identities of young people who attend elite private schools in Auckland, New Zealand. Through this work, the thesis develops a critical understanding of privilege as a social discourse which is simultaneously unmarked but visible through material manifestations in people and places. The primary methods used include focus groups and online dialogic diaries. This combination allows for the exploration of group dynamics as well as more personal participant reflections. The research is thus able to examine young people’s identities and experiences of place and privilege by marking and privileging privileged voices. Textual analysis of material on elite private education and school websites was also undertaken to help investigate the institutional component of privilege. In this way, this thesis concludes by illustrating how embracing uncertainty is critical to examining privileged childhoods and developing a deeper understanding of how systems of privilege operate. Narratives of identity and experience revealed by young people who attend elite private schools contribute to understandings of how practices actively construct and reproduce privilege through institutional, symbolic, and individual dimensions.