The Hidden Nature Behind Elite Status
How does one become elite? There are no specific credentials that authorize you as part of the elite class. There is no established guidebook that details the character traits and attributes that define the elite class. Rather, the process of joining the elite is extremely vague and undefined. While some have attempted to describe the qualifications, they have often reinforced stereotypes in the process and furthered the ambiguity. The hidden nature behind elite production and reproduction has led me to question not just why but also how ambiguity and vagueness have become so characteristic of the elite class.
After reading Bourdieu’s The State Nobility, I’ve come to understand that the ambiguity and lack of explicitness on how to become elite or what qualifies one as elite serves a very unique purpose: excluding those who are not already connected or specifically invited to the elite circle. You must have certain knowledge, connections, and specific insider understanding in order to obtain the prestigious status. In his first chapter, Bourdieu reveals that “the most apparently ineffable principles of the unformulated and unformulable definition of academic excellence are never more likely to give themselves away or betray themselves” (p.9). In other words, the purposeful omission of knowledge ensures that only those who are in the elite circle receive it. Without clearly defined parameters and characteristics, it makes it impossible to gain the knowledge necessary to be a part of the elite class. The ambiguity fuels the exclusive nature of the elite.
Thus, I began to wonder why the characteristics of being elite were so unclear and hidden? Was the ambiguity intentional? As I dove deeper into Bourdieu’s work for answers, I found that the lack of explicitness ties back to the fact that “these practices are founded in habitus, which, in the most widely different domains of practice, tends to reproduce the conditions of its own production by producing the objectively coherent and systematically characteristic strategies of a particular mode of reproduction” (p.272). Essentially, Bourdieu is saying that these characteristics are so ingrained in the ways of life of the elite that it is almost as if the elite are not conscious of these defining characteristics and behaviors. In other words, the elite are not even aware of their exclusive, cyclical nature of their modes of reproduction.
The attitudes and behaviors of the students at the Croft school – an extremely elite private school in Chile – reflect Bourdieu’s theories in that many of the students are unaware of why they attend such an elite institution. When asked what motivates you to go to school, Alejandro (a pseudonym for a student at the Croft School) responded with “umm, it’s not that motivating but I go because I have to, it is my duty. It is not an option to not go to school.” Alejandro’s lack of clarity as to why he attends this prestigious, highly competitive school represents how ingrained the practices and attitudes are within the elite class. He does not question why he must do so, but rather, he assumes the responsibility as “his duty.” Consequently, the competitive and exclusive elitist framework gets further ingrained in Alejandro’s subconscious (and habitus) with each day he attends school. The hidden nature of the reproduction of the elite sheds light to why and how it is extremely difficult for the non-elite to gain access to the elite class. Moving forward, it is important to acknowledge the existence of these hidden dynamics because uncovering the ambiguity is the first step to defining and breaking down the barriers.
