It has become common, in some circles, to view elite universities as places of left-leaning “wokery”. A recent Daily Mail article ranked higher education institutions according to their penchant for promoting a range of “politically correct” tropes – and placed Cambridge and Oxford in the top spots.
In talking to students in the UK and the US as part of our research for a new book, we found that this was a deliberate mirage. Beyond the culture wars caricature, universities such as Harvard and Yale, Oxford and Cambridge, remain highly conservative institutions that align with the interests of privileged groups to perpetuate existing power structures.
Yes, young people who aren’t white or wealthy might make it through the gates, but the gatekeeping does not end there. And, for many, the reality of daily life within these institutions can be very uncomfortable. As one student told us: “Getting here is hard enough. Once you get here you would think you were on a level playing field, but it doesn’t work like that.
“There are hierarchies of difference based on your accent and what school you went to before you came here. It’s easy to tell those who are from upper- or middle-class, privileged backgrounds, and those who are trying to fit in.”
A white, working-class student told us how difficult it was to compete with this “unspoken” advantage: “It’s their entitlement that they’ve grown up with. It’s part of their persona. It’s not just about getting a place here – it bleeds into every aspect of their lives.”
