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Series:   Elements in Politics and Society in Latin America

Costly Opportunities

Social Mobility in Segregated Societies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 2024

María José Álvarez-Rivadulla
María José Álvarez-Rivadulla
Affiliation:
Universidad de los Andes, Colombia

Summary

This Element investigates entrenched inequality in Latin America through a unique case of class integration in Colombian higher education. Examining a forgivable loan program benefiting 40,000 high-achieving individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, the Element introduces 'gate opening' and 'diversified networks' as mechanisms countering traditional inequality reproduction. Utilizing a longitudinal, ethnographic approach, it explores the evolving process of social mobility within an elite school, emphasizing subjective experiences and challenges. Despite educational gaps and stark social differences, most students formed cross-class friendships, completed their education, and achieved higher socioeconomic positions. Yet, in so doing they had to face several costs of social mobility resourcing to strategies such as camouflaging or disclosing, sometimes becoming culturally omnivourous in the end. The significance of a prestigious degree varies based on the professional labor market, with first-generation students facing more challenges in low quality or elitist markets where cultural and social capital act as entry barriers.
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Keywords

social capitalsocial mobilitysocial classinequalitysegregation
Type
Element
Information
Series: Elements in Politics and Society in Latin America
Online ISBN: 9781009503242
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication: 30 May 2024

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