To read this content please select one of the options below:

How “space” and “place” contribute to occupational aspirations as a value-constituting practice for working-class males

Garth Stahl (School of Education, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia)
Sam Baars (LKMco, London, UK)

Education + Training

ISSN: 0040-0912

Article publication date: 14 March 2016

865

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider how working-class boys constitute themselves as subjects of “value” through a close examination of their occupational aspirations. The authors consider two significant influences on the aspirations of these young men: “space” and “place”; and neoliberal discourses which privilege a particular concept of individualized personhood. Contending with neoliberal conceptions of personhood and aspiration (that are primarily competitive, economic, and status based), working-class and working-poor young men either align themselves with the “entrepreneurial” or “aspirational” self or face the label of “low aspirations”.

Design/methodology/approach

Employing space and place as conceptual lenses allows for a nuanced understanding of how aspirations are formed (and reformed) according to immediate locale. To explore the identity negotiations surrounding the occupational aspirations of working-class males, the authors draw on two qualitative research studies in deprived neighbourhoods located in South Manchester and South London.

Findings

Based on the evidence as well as the wider research concerning working-class males and occupational aspirations, the authors argue that aspirations are formed in a contested space between traditional, localized, classed identities and a broader neoliberal conception of the “aspirational” rootless self.

Research limitations/implications

This study focuses on aspiration formation in two specific neighbourhoods, and caution should be taken when generalizing the findings beyond these area contexts.

Originality/value

This study problematizes the literature generated by government bodies and educational institutions regarding working-class youth as having a “poverty of aspirations”. Additionally, value lies in the cross-reference of two specific geographic areas using the conceptual lens of space and place.

Keywords

Citation

Stahl, G. and Baars, S. (2016), "How “space” and “place” contribute to occupational aspirations as a value-constituting practice for working-class males", Education + Training, Vol. 58 No. 3, pp. 313-327. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-09-2015-0090

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Related articles