On the 16th August I was taken back to my own A level results day and also to the day of A level results for the twenty-one young women I interviewed for my PhD research. These young women collected their A level results in August 2006 and as one might expect, it was a mixed bag of joy, surprise and disappointment. Of the twenty-one, fifteen took up places at university that year. Some had to retake, others decided to defer their university place, or to reject it altogether. Continue reading “Another August, another A level results day”
Cultures of Class: ‘Cashed Up’ and (Dis)Appearing in Place
In Fame, Folk Devils and Generation X-Factor, Heather Mendick and Kim Allen highlight the moral condemnation of the ‘get rich quick’ X-Factor generation, and the profound classing of ‘celebrity’ as (un)appealing and (dis)tasteful. Patterns of culture, consumption and aspiration manifest variously across different national and international contexts and as a visiting scholar at the Australian National University, I’ve had the opportunity to consider the shape and ‘stick’ of class in the Australian context. Specifically, I’ve been intrigued by the figure of the ‘bogan’ as a negative descriptor of white working-class poor populations and an identified ‘new tribe’ of Australians (similar to the UK figure of the ‘chav’, excessively clothed in the wrong brand, and lacking the ‘right’ cultural capital, see ‘Neighbourhood Types’). As Mendick and Allen’s piece highlights, behavioural traits are captured and mis-represented as individual character facts, or flaws, disguising fundamental divisions around legitimacy, authority and material inequalities. Continue reading “Cultures of Class: ‘Cashed Up’ and (Dis)Appearing in Place”
Ever faced the Walk of Shame? Designing Disgust
Harvey Nichols, exclusive designer company, self-positioned as the ‘world’s leading international luxury fashion destination, a one-stop-shop for the most exclusive brands in fashion, beauty and food’ asks us directly via YouTube if we have ‘ever faced the walk of shame’? Continue reading “Ever faced the Walk of Shame? Designing Disgust”
Boffins and geeks: geek or chic?
The labels swot, ear ’ole, boffin, keeno, geek and nerd resonate meaningfully across generations of school-goers and echo through the terrains of popular culture. Our Gender and Education viewpoint started life as a conversation about our own research into how such identities are imagined and lived. We wondered: Has ‘the rise of the nerd’ meant that being a ‘boffin’ at school has lost its stigma? Continue reading “Boffins and geeks: geek or chic?”
Blaming the women and education again
Is anyone else as sick to death as I am about the reportage of the recent disturbances in London and other English cities? Continue reading “Blaming the women and education again”
Feminism trumps egalitarianism: the twisted logic of David Willetts
Debates around inequality and social mobility continue to rage in the UK. The Coalition Universities Minister, David Willett’s has attacked feminism as one of the main reasons that social mobility in the UK has stalled. In comments reported in the Daily Telegraph, Mr. Willetts said:
“The feminist revolution in its first round effects was probably the key factor. Feminism trumped egalitarianism. It is not that I am against feminism, it’s just that is probably the single biggest factor.” Continue reading “Feminism trumps egalitarianism: the twisted logic of David Willetts”