Cultural mismatch and emotional imprint: Exploring rural students' integration into elite Universities

• In Event: The Emotional Imprint of Social Mobility: Cultural Capital and Rural Students in Chinese Universities

Proposal

The increased access of rural students to China's elite higher education sector has led to a surge in research on their academic and social integration after gaining admission. Sociologists have emphasized the role of cultural capital in this process, highlighting how entering elite universities exposes them to an entirely new culture, creating barriers and emotional challenges. However, existing research heavily influenced by Bourdieu's theory primarily examines the impact of the cultural mismatch between rural students' families and elite universities, neglecting the role of high schools in this context. Drawing from life course interviewing data of rural students at four elite universities in China, this paper investigates the cultural mismatch between high schools and elite universities and its impact on their psychological and emotional well-being. The paper argues that the concept of "habitus clivé" plays a pivotal role in understanding the social mobility experience of rural students. By applying Bourdieu's conceptual framework in a non-Western context, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the unique challenges rural students face in integrating into elite universities.

Authors

• Ailei Xie, Guangzhou University

• Jingran Yu, Institute of Education, Xiamen University