Making it without faking it: How low-SES students transcend cultural barriers at elite universities in China

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

Proposal

This paper expands the sociological understanding of the diverse experiences of cultural struggle faced by low-SES students at elite universities and examines the role of a society’s cultural repertoire in empowering these strugglers to overcome these challenges and regain a coherent and authentic sense of worthy self. While existing literature focuses on the disadvantages and difficulties that low-SES students face on the path to upward mobility, this study focuses on the capabilities and resources that enable their progress despite these challenges. The study interviewed 33 low-SES students from two elite universities in mainland China, synthesizing Bourdieu’s concept of habitus and cultural repertoire perspective to develop an approach that allows for more reflexive agency. The findings reveal notable differences in the extent to which students experience cultural struggles upon entering university and their progress in overcoming them throughout their college years. The study identifies three types of cultural resources available in contemporary Chinese society—decategorizing frames, valorizing narratives, and bridging scripts, illustrating how these students reflexively utilize them to counteract cultural struggles. By emphasizing the role of historically contingent cultural repertoire in fostering social resilience among marginalized groups, this study offers a novel perspective on research in the field.

Author

• Yajun Zheng, The University of Hong Kong