ABSTRACT
This paper starts by questioning the continuing appeal of social mobility as a field of scientific research as well as its attraction in political circles. It then demonstrates how the stalling in opportunities for upward social mobility has the potential to become capitalism's nemesis. It does so through the exploration of the dynamics unleashed by various social movements of our time, such as the Occupy and the Landless People's Movement and so on. Movements like these have exposed some significant contradictions in contemporary capitalism and attendant myths, such as that of unfettered movement to the top of the social structure. They also point to alternatives that can assist not with individual advancement, as with social mobility, but for the common good. In this vein, the end of the pursuit of social mobility might indicate the start of a serious exploration of progressive alternatives which we desperately need.
