The students themselves have acknowledged the bubble they live in and have realized that they don’t often engage with those who are not in their social class or at their high status. The student who I researched from Croft explained how the only interaction he has had with those outside of his bubble has been through community service, “…we go to a poblaciones that are like, umm people believe in good conditions so we can build houses and things like that. We also go to other schools that are not in good condition and we teach there.” Service is a pillar at the Croft School and is important to the prestige of the school. This social service that Croft requires in one way is yes a way for the students to go outside of the bubble and join the community, but on the other hand, it puts the students in positions of power and authority, furthering their elitism that was already established. This also widens the gap between social classes and builds more divides in the community of the Croft school and its surroundings.
Another aspect to the bubble is ‘bubbles within the bubble’, which for many students means they stick with their ‘clans’ or friend groups. A few of the students from Croft explained how they really only hang out or speak with their clan at school, and don’t socialize often with people outside of it. This is really interesting to me because there aren’t only barriers with Croft and the community, but within the school as a whole. I think the bubble also plays a big role in the reproduction of elitism, which I wrote about in my previous blog. These barriers and divides between socioeconomic classes, social classes, and statuses keep the circuit of elitism running and keep the powerful stay in power.
Recently as a class we have been discussing Bourdieu’s book, The State of Nobility, where he speaks often about social, symbolic, and cultural capital. Symbolic capital, for example, goes directly with the bubble because symbolic capital is when an individual stays and plays by rules of others to benefit by others’ capital by being in their network, basically by associating with a group you are elevated. Essentially, if you are in one’s bubble that is in high society, your class and social standing will heighten just by association.
The bubble plays a giant role in elite society and at the Croft School as well. The bubble at Croft is one example of exclusivity that is apparent in schools and communities around the world. The socioeconomic divide and social class barriers will continue to affect communities and the gap will continue to widen, as the bubble maintains its grasp on elite schooling and elitism as a whole.
Bourdieu, Pierre, 1930-2002. The State Nobility : Elite Schools in the Field of Power. Stanford, Calif :Stanford University Press, 1996.
