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Doing transnational biographies in the PRC - Educational upward mobility, social stratification and family

  • In the 1990s, China implemented educational reforms to expand access to education. However, the focus on neoliberal ideologies and educational success has led to significant social implications in the context of social strata. As a result, students now face pressure to perform in the educational system to achieve success and therefore social upward mobility. Families encourage their children to pursue education as a means of social advancement, and this has become a defining feature of Chinese society to have or not have social quality (suzhi). In this presentation, I will discuss how this focus on education impacts the social upward mobility and biographical orientations of elite students in China. I will discuss social mobility and stratification through the lens of habitus theory. According to P. Bourdieu, this theoretical perspective suggests that achievement in the context of social mobility is not solely dependent on economic capital but also on cultural capital. Biographically, this is highly interesting, as families represent the essential point of reference for educational decisions and impact making. Families play a crucial role in shaping educational decisions and aspirations; if individuals lack the necessary economic, social and cultural capital, they may seek opportunities in transnational contexts as a form of outsourcing and even biographical illusion.
Metadaten
Author:Yvonne Berger
Editor:Yvonne Berger
Document Type:Other
Language:English
Publication Year:2024
Year of first Publication:2024
Tag:China, Education, Sociology
faculties / departments:Fakultät für Sozialwissenschaften
Dewey Decimal Classification:3 Sozialwissenschaften / 30 Sozialwissenschaften, Soziologie