Working-class Academics: Challenging Deficit Narratives Through Cultural Wealth

Abstract

When navigating higher education (HE), working-class academics (WCAs) encounter persistent socioeconomic, cultural, and personal barriers throughout their academic careers. This study, grounded in the theoretical frameworks of Pierre Bourdieu and Tara Yosso, sought to illuminate the cultural wealth of WCAs. Employing a mixed-methods approach over a five-year period, the research engaged with 244 WCAs from various institutions across the United Kingdom (UK). The findings challenged the dominant deficit narratives surrounding WCAs, revealing that WCAs actively cultivate and leverage a rich array of cultural assets, encompassing examples of aspirational, navigational, linguistic, familial, social, and resistant capital. Two overarching themes emerged from the data: the profound impact of shared lived experiences in empowering marginalised students, and the crucial role of WCAs as change agents. The study demonstrates how WCAs employ their backgrounds as pedagogical assets while advocating for structural reforms. These findings suggest institutions should formally recognise working-class cultural wealth through revised hiring criteria, targeted support programmes, and inclusive decision-making frameworks. This research advances understanding of how marginalised groups can transform rather than simply adapt to institutional cultures