Children’s Bodies and Corporeal Expectations of Schooling

Abstract

This chapter foregrounds the central question of the text: how are children’s corporeal performances—shaped by their social class upbringing—interpreted by teachers and how might these (mis)interpretations influence the social reproductive effects of schooling? It asserts that important theoretical work of Pierre Bourdieu and Annette Lareau can help researchers understand the corporeal performances of children in different social class backgrounds. Self-control is explored as a central mechanism by which different corporeal performances become advantageous or detrimental in navigating the somatic expectations of school. This chapter concludes by arguing that neoliberal educational practices have detrimental consequences for children’s development of authentic forms of self-control.