Jessica Abrahams
University of Surrey, Sociology, Post-Doc
- Cardiff University, Cardiff School of Social Sciences, Graduate Studentadd
- I am currently a Research Fellow at the University of Surrey working on the European Research Council funded EuroStud... moreI am currently a Research Fellow at the University of Surrey working on the European Research Council funded EuroStudents project. The project is seeking to explore the conception of the contemporary higher education student from a range of perspectives (students, policy makers, intuitions and the media) in 6 countries in Europe (Denmark, England, Germany, Ireland, Poland and Spain). For more information see: http://eurostudents.net/
I have recently completed an ESRC funded PhD (+3) at Cardiff University. My research focussed on young people from different backgrounds ‘aspirations’ and opportunities in terms of education and career. Specifically my thesis explores the way in which the English secondary education system reproduces social class inequalities through its structures and practices.
From 2010 – 2013 I was a research assistant on the Leverhulme Trust-funded project ‘Paired Peers’. The project qualitatively followed a cohort of 70 students throughout their undergraduate degrees at the two universities in Bristol (University of Bristol and University of the West of England). The students we ‘paired’ by social class background and subject in order to allow for various comparisons of their experiences. Overall the project has so far found that class inequality continues to permeate the process of ‘getting in’ to university, ‘getting on’ whilst at university and ‘getting out’ of university. For more information please see www.bristol.ac.uk/pairedpeers.edit
This article explores the contrasting predispositions of a group of working-class and middle-class undergraduates to using nepotism to gain advantage in the labour market. Drawing upon a Bourdieusian framework, it is argued that the... more
This article explores the contrasting predispositions of a group of working-class and middle-class undergraduates to using nepotism to gain advantage in the labour market. Drawing upon a Bourdieusian framework, it is argued that the middle-class students, whose habitus was aligned to the field, were more likely to express a willingness to utilise whatever networks they could to secure a ‘foot in the door’. Meanwhile, the working-class students, who were more insecure about the legitimacy of their participation within a middle-class field, expressed a commitment to a form of honour which ruled out using contacts on the grounds that it was morally unacceptable. They discussed a desire to ‘prove themselves’ which is arguably symptomatic of a deeply ingrained reliance on meritocracy. I explore how this may arise due to their habitus having developed within a dominated position in society where respectability is crucial to generating feelings of self-worth and value.
Research Interests:
This study utilises an innovative creative method of plasticine modelling to explore the identities of local students (those who live in their family home) at the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England. Students... more
This study utilises an innovative creative method of plasticine modelling to explore the identities of local students (those who live in their family home) at the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England. Students created models representing their identity, which were used as a springboard for in-depth discussion. Through drawing upon Bourdieusian theory this article attempts to shed new sociological light on the subject of local student experiences. In much of the literature this is presented as problematic and it is often argued that local students either 'miss out' on the conventional university experience or that they are stuck between two worlds. This paper, however, presents a more complex picture of local students' experiences of inhabiting local and university spaces. The data is analysed through a Bourdieusian lens in which the university and local worlds are seen as fields of struggle, this allows for a nuanced understanding of how students conceptualise their positions and dispositions in relation to both fields. The findings indicate that living at home can be both problematic and of benefit to the working-class students in particular. Despite being immersed within two somewhat contradictory fields they can sometimes develop various strategies to enable them to overcome any internal conflict. In this article we draw uniquely upon Bhabha's concept of a third space to expand upon Bourdieusian theory, arguing that a 'cleft habitus' is not always negative and can be a resource for some in their attempts to negotiate new fields.