Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Palgrave Macmillan
Book cover

Elite Schooling and Social Inequality

Privilege and Power in Ireland's Top Private Schools

  • Book
  • © 2018

Overview

Authors:
  1. Aline Courtois

    1. University College London, London, United Kingdom

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • Provides the first extensive sociological study of elite education in Ireland
  • Builds on ethnographic portraits of secretive schools to give a voice to past pupils and staff
  • Develops an original case in the field of elite education with global implications

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

Log in via an institution
eBook USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-ix
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction

    • Aline Courtois
    Pages 1-25

  3. The Making of Irish Elite Schools

    • Aline Courtois
    Pages 27-46

  4. Which Fee-Paying Schools are Elite Schools?

    • Aline Courtois
    Pages 47-68

  5. Elite Schools: A World Apart

    • Aline Courtois
    Pages 69-93

  6. The Selection of Elite Students

    • Aline Courtois
    Pages 95-123

  7. The Construction of a Collective Identity

    • Aline Courtois
    Pages 125-155

  8. The Multiple Facets of Excellence

    • Aline Courtois
    Pages 157-189

  9. Conclusion

    • Aline Courtois
    Pages 191-203

  10. Back Matter

    Pages 205-227
    Download chapter PDF
Back to top

Keywords

About this book

This book is the first significant sociological study of Ireland’s elite private schools. It takes the reader behind the gates of these secretive institutions, and offers a compelling analysis of their role in the reproduction of social inequality in Ireland. From the selection process to past pupils’ union events, from the dorms to the rugby pitch, the book unravels how these schools gradually reinforce exclusionary practices and socialize their students to power and privilege. It tackles the myths of meritocracy and classlessness in Ireland, while also providing keys to understanding the social practices and legitimacy of elites. By bringing out the voices of past pupils, parents and school staff and incorporating vivid ethnographic descriptions, the book provides a rare snapshot into a privileged world largely hidden from view. It offers a unique contribution to research on elite education as well as to the broader fields of sociology of education and inequality. As such, it will appeal to researchers, practitioners and the general public alike, in Ireland and beyond. 


Reviews

“This book is breathtakingly refreshing.  Not only is it intellectually engaging and a pleasure to read, it provides a highly original analysis into how social class privilege is reinforced through elite schooling in ways that reinforce upper-class male privilege in particular. Given the originality and scope of its research, the book represents a major sociological and educational achievement. However, its contribution is much greater than this. It raises profound questions about the moral myopia of Irish society when it comes to social class inequality.  And in so doing, it lays down a political and moral challenge to successive Irish government and educational management as to why they continue to provide public funding and private subsidies, respectively, for schools that actively reproduce inequality.” (Kathleen Lynch, Chair of Equality Studies, University College Dublin, Ireland)

Authors and Affiliations

  • University College London, London, United Kingdom

    Aline Courtois

About the author

Aline Courtois is a research associate at University College London Institute of Education, UK.

Bibliographic Information

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Back to top

Search

Navigation