Do the Conservatives Believe in Social Mobility?

Maslen, Joseph (2022) Do the Conservatives Believe in Social Mobility? Political Quarterly, 93 (1). pp. 104-111. ISSN 0032-3179

Text Maslen 2022a.doc - Accepted Version Download (89kB)

Abstract

In light of the great realignment of British politics over the last half decade, Conservatives have sometimes seemed to be the new egalitarians, railing against the ‘new snobbery’ of leftish elites. Focussing on output from the website ConservativeHome, this article considers the complex and subtle place of social mobility—conventionally understood as fair opportunity to ascend to professional status for people of all social backgrounds—in this seemingly more progressive brand of UK Conservatism. It notes that these new egalitarians are, in fact, sceptical of setting professional status as an aspirational ideal for working class people, yet still value the concept of social mobility. Explaining this apparent contradiction, the article suggests that the new egalitarians attach social mobility to a particular concept: the self-mastery of free individuals who are able to assert themselves as choice-makers, breaking social barriers in the expression of personal drive.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information and Comments:	The definitive version is available at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-923X.13107
Keywords:	Aspiration; Class; Conservative Party; Education; Elitism; Social mobility
Faculty / Department:	Faculty of Education and Social Sciences > School of Education
Depositing User:	Joseph Maslen
Date Deposited:	22 Apr 2022 13:12
Last Modified:	12 Nov 2024 11:58
URI:	https://hira.hope.ac.uk/id/eprint/3525

Actions (login required)

View Item