scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question
DOI

Learning to Labour: How Working Class Kids Get Working Class Jobs

01 Dec 2011-Iss: 32, pp 5-8
About: The article was published on 2011-12-01 and is currently open access. It has received 1252 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Working class.
Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
Ann Nilsen1
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors make cross-national comparisons of G.H. Mead's philosophy of time and his focus on the present as the site of interpretation of past experiences and thoughts about the future.
Abstract: Inspired by G.H. Mead’s philosophy of time and his focus on the present as the site of interpretation of past experiences and thoughts about the future, this paper makes cross-national comparisons ...

13 citations


Cites background from "Learning to Labour: How Working Cla..."

  • ...Charlie and Didrik11 came from families where vocational skills had been more common for men than academic education over the generations, much like the families of the ‘lads’ in Willis’ (1977) study....

    [...]

  • ...The ‘lads’ in Willis’ (1977) study approached their future with confidence, in spite of not having any higher education since the labour market of that time offered a range of opportunities for a variety of skills sets....

    [...]

  • ...For men with low skills, the labour market offers fewer options compared to the situation for their fathers’ and grandfathers’ generations (MacDonald, 2008; Roberts, 2013; Brannen et al., 2018), as indeed Willis’ (1977) study demonstrated....

    [...]

Dissertation
28 Sep 2017
TL;DR: Goodwin et al. as discussed by the authors examined the apprenticeship experiences of a group of working class young men from the London area during the years 1959-1989, to determine the impact of those experiences on the formation of their adult, male, self-identities.
Abstract: This small scale, qualitative study examines the apprenticeship experiences of a group of working class young men from the London area during the years 1959-1989, to determine the impact of those experiences on the formation of their adult, male, self-identities. The research contributes to current debates and literature on apprenticeships, youth transitions, masculinity, social class and identity. It records as social history the recollections of ten ex-apprentices from the telecommunications and construction industries (five from each sector) and includes evidence of how they chose their apprenticeships. Data consists of participants’ memories collected as oral histories during semi-structured interviews, and from written answers to pre-interview questionnaires. The research was designed to ascertain the impact of their apprenticeships on the construction of the participants’ adult identities as defined by the concept of ‘standard adulthood’ (Parsons, 1971). This I describe as a series of interconnecting communities of practice (Lave and Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998), into which the participants entered as legitimate peripheral participants. Drawing on situated learning theory (Lave and Wenger, 1991), I contend that their post-war apprenticeships were part of a social and cultural institution that continued to serve as an integrative vehicle for the attainment of the ‘classic markers of adulthood’ (Blatterer, 2007a; 2007b) as a ‘life apprenticeship’, and through participation in diverse adult social worlds enabled them to become full participants in society (Goodwin, 2007). This thesis also examines the influence of social factors such as families, education and class on the participants’ school to work transitions. The research reveals a noticeable difference in the ways that these factors determined the two participant groups’ choice of apprenticeship. Drawing on social reproduction theory and the concept of cultural capital (Bourdieu & Passeron, 1990 ), I reveal the extent that family and social class played in deciding the participants’ future life courses.

13 citations


Cites background from "Learning to Labour: How Working Cla..."

  • ...Conversely, Williams (2000; 2003) claims that a degree of generalisation does in fact take place by researchers using what he terms ‘moderatum generalisations’, that is ones in which certain aspects of the research’s focus can be understood as identifiable characteristics....

    [...]

  • ...Moderatum generalisations, Williams (2000; 2003) maintains, permit a moderate amount of generalisation and allow comparisons and links with other samples to be made....

    [...]

Dissertation
01 Apr 2014
TL;DR: Findings based on predominantly one ethno-cultural group do not necessarily translate to other groups, even if they live under similar material conditions, as this research demonstrates.
Abstract: Cigarette smoking among African-Caribbean young women has been under- researched. This thesis investigates the reported patterns of and influences on cigarette smoking among young African-Caribbean women aged 14 to 16 years old in urban Britain. The study uses a multi-method, interdisciplinary research design which combines approaches from women’s studies and sociology of health to explore how ‘race’, class and gender influence cigarette smoking. A black feminist framework was adopted drawing on intersectionality theory. First, data on reported patterns and influences on smoking behaviour for 700 young people were collected using a self-completion questionnaire in schools in a city in the West Midlands to compare the influence of gender, ethnicity and social class on cigarette smoking behaviour and perceptions of cigarette smoking in a cross- section of young black and white people. Second, seven focus groups were conducted with first- and second-generation young African-Caribbean women to collect in-depth qualitative data on reported factors that influence smoking behaviour and the meanings that cigarette smoking has for this group. This research contributes to developing understanding of cigarette smoking in young African-Caribbean women in the UK; it widens and deepens existing work, adding a perspective that includes the dimensions of ‘race’ and ethnicity. Literature on gender and smoking exploring working-class identity exists but not an exploration of gender, ethnicity and class and how this is expressed through smoking behaviour. My findings contribute new knowledge to understanding young people’s smoking behaviour: whilst the African-Caribbean young women in this sample were more disadvantaged than their white female peers, they were less likely to smoke. Caribbean culture, family life and religion were central to their lives and to a large extent protected many young women from cigarette smoking. As such this research demonstrates findings based on predominantly one ethno-cultural group do not necessarily translate to other groups, even if they live under similar material conditions.

13 citations


Cites background from "Learning to Labour: How Working Cla..."

  • ...Paul Willis’ study of working-class boys was ground-breaking in this area as it explored how working-class identities were produced and reproduced (Willis, 1977)....

    [...]

01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: Moore et al. as mentioned in this paper explored the experiences of U.S. Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans on two California college campuses and found that these enforced silences, coupled with heroic narratives about past and current wars, increase the cognitive dissonance between veterans' lived military experience and their campus lives, which in turn can negatively affect their success in college.
Abstract: Author(s): Moore, Ellen | Advisor(s): Lave, Jean | Abstract: Going to War to Go to College: Student Veterans in Academic Contact ZonesIn the current all-volunteer U.S. military, many low-income recruits enlist for educational benefits. Yet many veterans find that their military training and combat experience complicate their ability to function in civilian schools; many drop out. Extensive research explores military training methods and outcomes of the G.I. Bill, yet little has been written about site-specific intersections of military and civilian pedagogies and cultures on college campuses. Moreover, there has been little written about how the presence of student veterans on contemporary campuses affects public discourse about U.S. involvement in foreign wars. This dissertation contests one often-cited explanation for low veteran success rates in college: that civilian campuses are anti-military, and by extension, hostile to veterans. Using Lave's analysis of situated learning and Pratt's notion of `contact zones', and drawing upon Gramsci's concept of `common sense', this dissertation explores the experiences of U.S. Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans on two California college campuses. It follows student veterans as their previous military socialization comes into contact and conflict with civilian academic, student and cultural norms. Drawing on interviews, observation of classes and everyday practice of veteran support NGOs, the dissertation shows that conflicting pedagogical and cultural norms and practices, rather than ostensible hostility towards veterans, impede veterans' success in higher education. There is little evidence to support the claim that contemporary college campuses show anti-veteran bias; indeed, framing campuses as hostile to veterans and conflating veteran support with support for U.S. wars produces a militarized common sense. Militarized common sense is a worldview based on the assumptions that war is a natural and necessary aspect of maintaining and protecting nationhood; that military priorities are more important than non-military ones; and that war veterans should serve as positive public symbols and proxies for U.S. military projects and wars. Acceptance of these common-sense understandings has the effect of silencing debate and dissent about the wars on campuses. The trope of the anti-military campus, while not reflective of contemporary reality, is rooted in historic narratives about the Vietnam War, and when veteran support programs are embedded in a context of uncritical esteem for the military, veteran support becomes a social force that organizes and regulates public discourse about the wars. Through the creation of discourses of care for student veterans, which simultaneously frame veterans as victims of discrimination and as heroes deserving of public valorization, campuses promote programs that conflate support for the veteran with uncritical support for the institution of the military, which has the effect of silencing debate on campus about contemporary military conflicts. This dissertation reveals some of the unintended consequences of these discourses of care. Campus veteran support efforts that conflate support for veterans with support for the military may be counter-productive to veterans, their teachers and classmates, because they tend to preclude candid discussions about the U.S. military and U.S. wars, which can heighten the cultural divide between civilians and military members. Moreover, for many veterans, these enforced silences, coupled with heroic narratives about past and current wars, increase the cognitive dissonance between veterans' lived military experience and their campus lives, which in turn can negatively affect their success in college.

13 citations

Dissertation
28 Apr 2010
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated how Jewish entrepreneurs build and operate their networks and provided a thorough insight into the routes and anchorages of a small Diaspora community by means of three business case studies; the diamond trade, the fashion business and the speciality coffee retail business.
Abstract: FSW The Straits is the waterway region that divides Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, with adjacent port cities like the Straits Settlements, Penang, Melaka and Singapore and on the Indonesian side, Jakarta and Surabaya. Jewish presence in this region is highly contested. By means of three in–depth business case studies; the diamond trade, the fashion business and the speciality coffee retail business, it is investigated how Jewish entrepreneurs build and operate their networks. Despite, or maybe because of the many popular ideas concerning Jews and their businesses, their networks have remained understudied. With the introduction of the concept of a Jewish Diasporascape, this study avoids the obvious dangerous pitfall of reductionism studying Jewish networks. It calls for allowing complexities, and the appliance of a multi-disciplinary and critical realist approach. At the same time, it provides a thorough insight into the routes and anchorages of a small Diaspora community.

13 citations


Cites background from "Learning to Labour: How Working Cla..."

  • ...23 Willis, P. (1981) Learning to labour: How working class kids Get Working Class Jobs....

    [...]

References
More filters
Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 2010
TL;DR: The concept of community of practice was not born in the systems theory tradition as discussed by the authors, but it has its roots in attempts to develop accounts of the social nature of human learning inspired by anthropology and social theory.
Abstract: The concept of community of practice was not born in the systems theory tradition. It has its roots in attempts to develop accounts of the social nature of human learning inspired by anthropology and social theory (Lave, 1988; Bourdieu, 1977; Giddens, 1984; Foucault, 1980; Vygotsky, 1978). But the concept of community of practice is well aligned with the perspective of systems traditions. A community of practice itself can be viewed as a simple social system. And a complex social system can be viewed as constituted by interrelated communities of practice. In this essay I first explore the systemic nature of the concept at these two levels. Then I use this foundation to look at the applications of the concept, some of its main critiques, and its potential for developing a social discipline of learning.

1,082 citations

Book
27 Jun 2011
TL;DR: In this article, the Flatlands of Oakland and the Youth Control Complex are discussed. But the focus is on the role of black youth in the criminal justice system and community institutions.
Abstract: Preface Acknowledgments Part I Hypercriminalization 1 Dreams Deferred: The Patterns of Punishment in Oakland 2 The Flatlands of Oakland and the Youth Control Complex 3 The Labeling Hype: Coming of Age in the Era of Mass Incarceration 4 The Coupling of Criminal Justice and Community Institutions Part II Consequences 5 "Dummy Smart": Misrecognition, Acting Out, and "Going Dumb" 6 Proving Manhood: Masculinity as a Rehabilitative Tool 7 Guilty by Association: Acting White or Acting Lawful? Conclusion: Toward a Youth Support Complex Appendix: Beyond Jungle-Book Tropes Notes References Index About the Author

909 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors examines the transition to adulthood among 1.5-generation undocumented Latino young adults and finds that for them, the transition from K to adulthood involves exiting the legally protected status of K to...
Abstract: This article examines the transition to adulthood among 1.5-generation undocumented Latino young adults. For them, the transition to adulthood involves exiting the legally protected status of K to ...

663 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, student engagement research, policy, and practice must become more nuanced and less formulaic, and the ensuing review is structured accordingly, guided in part by social-ecological analysis and social-cultural theory.
Abstract: Student engagement research, policy, and practice are even more important in today’s race-to-the top policy environment. With a priority goal of postsecondary completion with advanced competence, today’s students must be engaged longer and more deeply. This need is especially salient for students attending schools located in segregated, high-poverty neighborhoods and isolated rural communities. Here, engagement research, policy, and practice must become more nuanced and less formulaic, and the ensuing review is structured accordingly. Guided in part by social-ecological analysis and social-cultural theory, engagement is conceptualized as a dynamic system of social and psychological constructs as well as a synergistic process. This conceptualization invites researchers, policymakers, and school-community leaders to develop improvement models that provide a more expansive, engagement-focused reach into students’ family, peer, and neighborhood ecologies.

528 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Longitudinal Immigrant Student Adaptation Study (LISA) as discussed by the authors used a mixed-methods approach, combining longitudinal, interdisciplinary, qualitative, and quantitative approaches to document adaptation patterns of 407 recently arrived immigrant youth from Central America, China, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Mexico over the course of five years.
Abstract: Background/Context: Newcomer immigrant students are entering schools in the United States in unprecedented numbers. As they enter new school contexts, they face a number of challenges in their adjustment. Previous literature suggested that relationships in school play a particularly crucial role in promoting socially competent behavior in the classroom and in fostering academic engagement and school performance. Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the role of school-based relationships in engagement and achievement in a population of newcomer immigrant students. Research Design: The Longitudinal Immigrant Student Adaptation Study (LISA) used a mixed-methods approach, combining longitudinal, interdisciplinary, qualitative, and quantitative approaches to document adaptation patterns of 407 recently arrived immigrant youth from Central America, China, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Mexico over the course of five years. Based on data from the last year of the study, we examine how the role of relationships mediates newcomers’ challenges with academic engagement and performance. We identify factors that account for patterns of academic engagement and achievement, including country of origin, gender, maternal education, English language proficiency, and school-based relationships. Findings: Multiple regression analyses suggest that supportive school-based relationships strongly contribute to both the academic engagement and the school performance of the par

356 citations