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Narratives of Value and Fulfilment

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Self-Made Men

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Abstract

Previous research has shown that the working-class experience in education is informed by various aspects of class disadvantage. While not disputing this work, this chapter maps a dimension of subjectivity for those participants who successfully transitioned to higher education—that of fulfilment. The discourse of fulfilment and improvement was integral to their pathway. Echoing work on the importance of autonomy and resilience in the formation of masculinities, the boys in this study found fulfilment in a new-found independence associated with the transition to higher education. As they came to feel more adult and take on more responsibility, they also revealed the fragility of their subjectivity. The boys constructed themselves in relation to a pre-set ideal university learner, a neoliberal fiction, and never quite felt like they were measuring up.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Garth Stahl

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  1. Garth Stahl
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Stahl, G. (2022). Narratives of Value and Fulfilment. In: Self-Made Men. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07954-2_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07954-2_7

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-07953-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-07954-2

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