ERIC Number: EJ1286810
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 27
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0162-5748
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
"You Can't Be a Class Ally if You're an Upper-Class Person Because You Don't Understand": Working-Class Students' Definitions and Perceptions of Social Class Allyship
Bettencourt, Genia M.
Review of Higher Education, v44 n2 p265-291 Win 2020
Although the concept of allyship has been used in relation to multiple marginalized groups within higher education, it is rarely applied to social class. In this study, I used narrative inquiry to understand how working-class students define and perceive social class allyship. Findings revealed that working-class students identified social class allyship primarily through affinity spaces, resources, and navigational support. However, many struggled to conceptualize social class related to broader systemic change. From this research, I redefine allyship as a layered, multifaceted concept in which forms of oppression are interconnected and outline implications for individual and systemic change.
Descriptors: Working Class, Student Experience, Undergraduate Students, Advantaged, Disadvantaged, Social Support Groups, Social Justice, Resources, Student Financial Aid, College Environment, School Culture, Campuses, Research Universities, Parent Background, Social Bias, Barriers, Socioeconomic Background
Johns Hopkins University Press. 2715 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Tel: 800-548-1784; Tel: 410-516-6987; Fax: 410-516-6968; e-mail: jlorder@jhupress.jhu.edu; Web site: http://www.press.jhu.edu/journals/subscribe.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A