Recognition, Distinction and Emotional Drivers of Action: The Cultural-Symbolic Dimension of Social Mobility
Inequality, one of the most pressing social challenges of our time, is being relentlessly tackled worldwide, including in most developed social contexts. Social inequality hinders human capital development and serves as a barrier to the economic growth and social stability of nation-states, as well as to the well-being and prosperity of their people more broadly. Nonetheless, no comprehensive measures of overcoming inequality have thus far been offered, and it continues to be perpetuated in all countries of the world.
One of inequality’s paradoxes is that, despite the fact that it essentially stems from economic forces—through the distribution of goods and unequal access to resources—solely economic solutions (primarily the redistribution of resources and the channelling of economic resources to support socially disadvantaged groups) have not yet resulted in sustainable upward mobility and the improvement of their life chances. In other words, if social inequality was to be viewed as a simply economic issue, one wouldn’t be able to either explain the effects that render it a social issue of utmost importance—including the marginalisation of large social groups, the loss of social cohesion and trust, and, as an extreme, a decline in the legitimacy of social institutions—or to design effective social policies that battle the consequences of the latter.
Current trends in the development of social theory and empirical research in this field indicate the importance of culture in the process of reproduction of social inequality and provide the key to solving the paradox outlined above. However, the specific cultural mechanisms that accompany persistent inequality, as well as the social contexts in which they acquire a special role, remain understudied. This issue is of fundamental significance, as social mobility being the main dynamic characteristic of inequality is a key way to overcome the latter—mainly through education and professional careers. Drawing on state-of-the-art resources of sociology of culture and inequality, this research project aims to unpack the link between culture and the success of youth in building their educational and career trajectories.
To achieve the goal of the project, we introduce three cultural mechanisms responsible for the reproduction of social inequality: distinction, motivation and recognition. Each of these mechanisms plays a crucial role in the educational and career decisions that affect one’s advancement through available social ‘lifts’. The research design of the study involves the development of a conceptual model which thoroughly describes the inner workings of social processes, namely, how:
1) the distinctive abilities of the youth—the available ‘cultural toolkit’ for navigation within educational institutions
2) motivation—emotional drivers of action, as well as the level of educational and career aspirations that set ‘ambition targets’ and planning horizons
3) recognition—acknowledging one’s value and dignity
influence the attractiveness of life strategies, the pursuit of certain choices and decisions, and, as a consequence, the realisation of social mobility.
The study will examine each of the identified cultural mechanisms of inequality. This involves, on the one hand, an in-depth theoretical study of the described phenomena and an analysis of existing research on the relationship of each cultural mechanism to educational and professional decision-making and its context; and on the other hand, integrated and multi-layered empirical work involving methodological development, data collection and analysis. In order to achieve these objectives, we will carry out a comprehensive analysis of the literature in the subject matter of the study. Based on this analysis, we will develop a conceptual approach to analysing the relationship between culture and inequality, as well as propose relevant methodological solutions, measurement tools and indicators. We will analyse the available longitudinal data of the TrEC and Tracer Atom studies. We will also collect and analyse new empirical data: survey and biographical interviews.
The research will be implemented in accordance with a mixed design logic (QUAN-QUAL-QUAN sequential). The first quantitative phase of the study will allow us, firstly, to develop a typology of extant educational and professional trajectories and assess their prevalence; secondly, to outline existing inequalities and the ‘abruptness’ of educational and professional trajectories; and thirdly, to form contrasting groups in terms of inequalities (young people from different backgrounds choosing the least and most successful scenarios of social mobility). The subsequent qualitative phase will explore the role of cultural mechanisms—distinction, motivation and recognition—in the choice of different mobility scenarios. We will carry out both cross-sectional and longitudinal qualitative analyses that will reveal the consequences that systems of distinction, motivation and recognition have on individual trajectories and social mobility. In the final quantitative phase and data collection of the longitudinal study, we will statistically assess the contribution of each of the mechanisms identified in the previous phase, measure the relationship between them, and also study the role of contextual variables in the functioning of these mechanisms. The mixed design of the study will allow for a comprehensive examination of the cultural dimension of social inequality, both in terms of the prevalence of certain social mobility scenarios and symbolic factors affecting it, and in terms of the meanings behind the adoption of career and educational decisions among modern Russian youth.
This research project will allow for an in-depth examination of the nature of the impact of cultural mechanisms on educational and professional decisions, as well as tracing the dynamics of these processes in light of the respondents’ individual trajectories. The research findings will help advance our understanding of the cultural and emotional foundations of inequality and social mobility, as well as the specific circumstances and mechanisms that prevent representatives of disadvantaged social groups to build a successful educational and professional career and utilise their talents. These insights will contribute to developing data-driven social and educational policies.
