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ERIC Number: EJ953169
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0951-8398
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Bullshit as Resistance: Justifying Unearned Privilege among Students at an Elite Boarding School
Gaztambide-Fernandez, Ruben
International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education (QSE), v24 n5 p581-586 2011
Resistance is typically framed around the experiences of youth with oppression within institutions and through "intersecting" systems of domination. Resistance among those who benefit the most from current institutional arrangements, like students attending elite schools, has rarely been considered in how resistance is theorized. This postcard is based on two years of ethnographic research into the process by which students at one elite boarding school internalize elite status and convince themselves that they deserve the privileges of an elite education. Drawing on interview and focus group data, I explore the role of what the students describe as "bullshit" as both a form of resistance as well as a key lesson in the process of becoming elite while disguising the appearance of unearned privilege. I draw a parallel between "having a laff" as a form of working class resistance, and bullshit as a form of resistance among ruling elites. (Contains 2 notes.)
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A