Tuesday, March 2, 2021
Concentrating on a context of wealth and privilege during a period of austerity and neoliberalism (2010-2019) in which increased financial and social inequality occurred, my research sought to understand what parents were investing in by sending their boys to selective private schools at this time: what constituted masculine success (the desired product and prize), the discourses used to produce such masculinities, and the potential costs for different pupils at these schools and beyond. Unpicking influences such as peer groups, teachers, parents and the official and hidden curriculum, I concluded that it is through a greater understanding of our own positions and our relationship with different ways of being and knowing that is at the heart of many issues for individuals, schools and wider society, extending far beyond gender. And the great thing is, that as many aspects of identity are constructed, by developing a critical lens and greater emotional intelligence, they can therefore be deconstructed and rebuilt.
