Social Class, Tertiary Education, and Field Theory

Abstract

This chapter further explores the theoretical terrain on which this book is based. It begins by providing a very general description of contemporary debates concerning processes of social class reproduction ongoing in the labor market, some of which are mediated by the tertiary education system. The complex nature of the interaction that exists between individual-level variables, such as socioeconomic status and gender, and institutional variables, such as the programs on offer, as well as ongoing social and economic change, mean it is difficult, if not impossible, to provide a precise assessment of the relationships among labor markets, social class, and tertiary education. Despite our lack of understanding and the necessarily general nature of the discussion offered in this chapter, it is argued that a better knowledge of the role played by providers of tertiary education in constructing and using networks can improve our understanding of social class reproduction processes. Networks of various kinds work in diverse ways to structure and regulate social relationships, such as those based on social class (Lin 2001). An increased knowledge of such processes will enable us to understand better how providers of tertiary education are responding to the new policy environment.