Desirable places: spatial representations and educational strategies in the inner city |
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Authors: | Eric Larsson Elisabeth Hultqvist |
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Institution: | Department of Education, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden |
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Abstract: | This article examines how the outcome of neoliberal educational reforms has affected urban schooling in the inner city of Stockholm – making it into a centralized nexus or a ‘hot-spot’ for students and schools. The aim is to analyse how geographical place and space have become major distinctive criteria in inner-city students’ educational strategies, as well as a comparative advantage for upper-secondary schools in the fierce in-between school competition. The data consist of interviews with close to 120 participants, official statistics and marketing from 55 inner-city upper-secondary schools. Our findings suggest that the growing commodification and upward socio-spatial homogenization of the inner city both affect the way schools use spatial representations in their marketing and also the strategies deployed by students in their school choice. |
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Keywords: | School choice educational strategies urban schooling privileged spaces |
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