Informations du cours

In contemporary discourses, social mobility tends to be closely linked to social justice. This seminar will examine and critically reflect on this link, often expressed through the term ‘meritocracy’. We will explore three different, but crucial historical moments, during which the experience of social mobility in Britain changed significantly: in the Victorian period, the emergence of mass production changed both the class structure, opening up new possibilities for self-made men [sic], and the ways in which social status was performed through consumption (e.g. of fashion and home décor). Meanwhile, the conditions under and the extent to which social mobility could be achieved differed sharply for different people, with gender being one important differentiating factor. During the post-war period, the expansion of the higher education sector opened up new pathways for both men and women, but individuals from different class backgrounds experienced the possibilities offered by higher education very differently. Lastly, in the present, it is increasingly acknowledged that equal access is not enough to level the differences between members of different social group: affirmative action is one way of tackling the problem. On the other hand, criticisms of the very ideal of meritocracy are increasingly voiced, and we may need to turn, once again, not only to who gets to profit from opportunities, but also to the level of inequality that is ‘just’ within a meritocratic system.
We will look at a variety of sources, from life-writing texts to political speeches, etiquette manuals to self-help books to better understand how people at various times experienced the conditions under which they might improve their lives, paying special attention not only to the different identities (ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality etc.) discussed in the “Introduction to Cultural Studies”, but also to how they intersect in particular social situations (intersectionality).
Assessment/requirements: Übung: portfolio; Seminar: term paper.