The indifference of distinction. Art schools and the noblesse oblige of privileged students

ABSTRACT

A consolidated sociological line of the research allows us to understand the educational advantages of middle-class pupils in terms of the dynamics of reproduction Bourdieu, P., and J. C. Passeron. 1970. The Inheritors: French Students and Their Relations to Culture, translated and edited by Richard Nice. Chicago: University of Chicago Press; Power, S., T. Edwards, G. Whitty, and V. Wigfall. 2003. Education and the Middle Class. Buckingham: Open University Press]. However, some scholars have pointed out how this process cannot be taken for granted, highlighting the difficulties experienced by youths in reaching academic success Reay, D., and H. Lucey. 2002. “Carrying the Beacon of Excellence: Social Class Differentiation and Anxiety at a Time of Transition.” Journal of Education Policy 17 (3): 321–336. Doi:10.1080/02680930210127586]. Based on Bourdieu’s perspective, this article will explore the links between low educational attainment, artistic passion, and high aspirations in privileged students. The research is based on in-depth interviews and focus groups with middle-class pupils in two secondary art schools in Milan. It is argued the artistic disposition acts within dynamics of negotiation among different and contrasting expectations. Creativity emerges as a source to perform gendered privileged learner identities. This study on artistic educational pathways can contribute to understanding the process-making of inequalities in creative fields.