Abstract

To better understand inequality in higher education, we qualitatively explore students’ fit in college using three domains based in theories by Bourdieu, Du Bois, and Bonilla-Silva: academic, social, and racial. We demonstrate the interconnected nature of these three domains, how students’ habitus shift over time, and students’ agency as they navigate college. We interviewed 18 students at two points in time: during their first or second year in college, and again during their third or fourth year. Our analysis reveals weaknesses in Bourdieu’s theory with respect to ways that race affects students’ pathways through college. We also demonstrate how Du Bois and Bourdieu can be used together to create a more complete theoretical basis of student experiences by explicitly incorporating double consciousness with habitus. To help students succeed, we call for more explicit articulation of the sociocultural expectations in higher education, as well as identification and removal of barriers to success that result from both hidden expectations and structural aspects of racial inequality.

摘要

为了更好地理解高等教育中的不平等现象，我们使用布迪厄，杜波依斯和博尼利亚-席尔瓦的理论基础研究了三个领域，即学术，社会和种族，从而定性地研究了学生在大学中的适应情况。我们展示了这三个领域的相互联系的性质，学生的习性如何随时间变化以及学生在上大学时的动向。我们在两个时间点分别采访了18名学生：在大学的第一年或第二年，以及第三年或第四年。我们的分析揭示了布迪厄理论在种族影响学生升读大学途径方面的弱点。我们还将展示杜波依斯和布迪厄如何通过明确地将双重意识与习惯结合在一起，从而为学生的体验创造更完整的理论基础。为了帮助学生成功，