Upper-class education

Third, the upper class shares a common background in terms of education at public schools and Oxbridge. Scott (1982) notes that the education attained in such institu­tions is probably less important than the socialisation into the ethos or culture of such schools, which is based on justifying privilege in terms of public service and common good. Scott notes that the main role of the public schools is to 'mould the ideas and outlooks of their pupils' in such a way that they quickly learn that they have common interests which are worth pursuing beyond school.

In 1991 there were 2,287 private schools, educating 7.4% of the school age popula­tion. Most of these are 'prep' schools educating children below the age of 12 or 13 years. Most sociological research has focused on the 233 secondary private schools which belong to the Headmasters' Confer­ence. Of these, nine, the so-called Clarendon Schools (including Eton for example), allegedly offer the best education. The fees are high; they averaged £11,000 per annum in 1996, which was more than the average manual wage.

Marxists suggest that the major function of the public schools is to ensure that pupils are socialised into a common culture which unifies that class. This is done through the hidden curriculum of public schools, which promotes the value of conservatism and especially respect for tradition, nationalism, acceptance of authority and hierarchy as nat­ural outcomes of superior breeding and upbringing and hostility towards socialist ideals. Public schoolboys are encouraged to see themselves as the elite. Mike O'Donnell (1992) notes that the demanding and com­petitive regimes of boys' public schools — plenty of prep (homework), sport and firm discipline — result in the cultural character­istics of self-control, application and hard work. Pupils have to learn to take orders but know that ultimately they are likely to exer­cise considerable authority themselves.

The influence of the upper-class peer group

Fourth, the public school and Oxbridge experience is geared to life-long friendship and networking beyond schooldays, which also contributes to the idea of an integrated elite. In other words, the peer group experi­ence leads to 'old-boy networks' made up of people who share the same cultural assets. As Scott (1982) notes, these contacts operate informally through 'membership of London clubs, by the social round of dinners and parties as well as, more formally, in business meetings and at official events'. Scott suggests that these contacts are central in further­ing their careers and also 'enable them to have more influence in the posts where they eventually land’.

Conclusion

It can be argued that a strong upper-class identity exists which originates in the exper­ience of socialisation found in upper-class families and public schools and which is reinforced by the closed and privileged nature of inter-marriage, extended family business contacts and the old-boy network. It can also be argued that, despite lacking a conventional occupational identity (many members of the upper class don't work but instead live off wealth), upper-class culture and identity has attained a privileged and dominant position in society as a result of its monopoly over wealth and, conse­quently, over positions of influence. This may account for the lack of any public debate or discussion of its role, despite public announcements about the nature of social class by the likes of John Prescott, John Major and Tony Blair. However, as Stony and Childs (1999) conclude, the upper class 'may be an invisible elite in cultural terms but its underlying power and influence have never been stronger'.

Task 2. Scan the following quotations of the sociologists conducting their research in the sphere of social stratification. What is your point of view on the issues tackled? In which of the quotations sociologists are speaking about class identity, intensive kinship network, classless/class-ridden society? The words given below can help you in stating your opinion about the upper-class identity:

Posh	-smart, fashionable, expensive; -(about a person) belonging to a high social class;	Шикарный, классный, отличный, роскошный
To be alienated from smth/smbd	To become emotionally or intellectually separated from smth/smbd;	Быть отдаленным, чужим
To give an edge to		Обострять, усиливать
To be geared to	If smth/smbd is geared to a particular purpose, they are organized or designed to be suitale for it;	Быть рассчитанным на, приспособленным к, (с учетом чего-л.)
assets	- all the things a company or a person owns; - if smth that you have is an asset, it is useful to you;	-Имущество, активы, -ценное качество, плюс
Inherit (a fortune, land, property)	To receive smth from smbd who came before you (or from smbd who has died)	получить в наследство состояние [землю, имущество]

1. “Social class can provide us with a sense of belonging; it can tell us who “we” are and who “they” are and, hence, how to relate to the world around us” (Mackintosh and Mooney)

2. “It is still with us, still around us, still inside us, still part of each of us.” (David Cannadine)

3. “Wealth and privilege are not very visible” (Mackintosh and Mooney)

4. “Inter-marriage confers access to a common language and trust, reinforced by Eton, Oxbridge and country house life, which leads on member to prefer another” (Sampson)

5. “[Old-boy networks] operate informally through membership of London clubs, by the social round of dinners and parties as well as, more formally, in business meetings and at official events, and enable them [the upper class] to have more influence in the posts where they eventually land” (Scott)

6. The upper class “may be an invisible elite in cultural terms but its underlying power and influence have never been stronger” (Storry and Childs)

 Task 3: create a “time capsule” for future generations

You know that sometimes people would like to leave the memories of their epoch for the future generations. They can do it through the “time capsule” – container having the most typical objects, symbols of the given period – that would help people of the future understand the life-style, values, customs of the people living now.

Which of these things do you consider to be the most/least interesting for shaping the image of the epoch:

• tangible historical events, wars and politics?

• novels, diaries, newspapers, charts, etc. which determine your understanding of the way people thought and acted then?

• everyday objects such as clothes, durable goods, furniture etc?

In your opinion what determines the choice of goods for such a “capsule”?

 At our classes we have already discussed the characteristics of the middle class in Great Britain and now you understand the influence of the class identity on social behaviour. If you were a representative of the middle/upper class in Great Britain/Belarus, what objects for your “time capsule” would you choose (there should be al least 6 objects in your capsule)?

Be ready to share your ideas with the group. Think about how to explain why you have chosen those things.

Remember that:

• the “time capsule” will be the size of a suitcase, so you cannot include very big objects like washing machine etc

• you can put whatever you like, but should bear in mind that the technology may no longer exist to play CDs, videos, etc.

• if you cover various spheres of the middle class social behaviour, future generations will have a more extended outlook of the present period.

 While presenting your group decisions the following vocabulary may be of help to you: (also see Useful Vocabulary from Sub-Unit 2.1.Patterns of Social Stratification)