Higher education and social recognition: On the moral dimension of pupils’ aspirations and choices in Chile

Abstract

This article examines the processes that shape pupils’ higher education (HE) aspirations and choices. At the theoretical level, I argue that while Pierre Bourdieu’s field-centred approach is ideal for grasping specific field dynamics and stakes, Axel Honneth’s perspective allows for a focus on the broader normative and moral dimensions that extend beyond a particular field. Thus, by applying Honneth’s recognition theory, I analyse how normative content is involved in pupils’ HE decision-making. In doing so, this article conveys the idea that Honneth’s conceptual insights complement and strengthen Bourdieu’s perspective on this matter. Empirically, this study draws from the case of Chile, looking at 23 semi-structured interviews with middle-class pupils in their final year of secondary school. My findings reveal how moral and normative dimensions influence pupils’ HE desires, whether it is in the fact that HE appears as a normative imperative pushing their decisions; in the responses they raise to confront economic constraints; or through the two cultural tropes – personal effort and individual responsibility – associated with the meritocratic principle that markedly shape their dispositions.