ABSTRACT
In this paper I attempt to problematize dominant discourses of social mobility. There is a long history of problematizing social mobility, as the John Lennon lyrics above and the R.H. Tawney quotes below indicate. I begin by discussing social mobility from a philosophical perspective before examining current policies on social mobility in the United Kingdom, drawing on data from both recent mobility studies and the contemporary labour market. I then broaden out the discussion by exploring subjective aspects of social mobility, juxtaposing my own personal history with Jackson and Marsden’s classic study ‘Education and the Working Class’ in order to exemplify the complexities of mobility journeys. Finally, I argue for better ways of
*Email: dr311@cam.ac.uk
achieving a socially just society, ones that, echoing Tawney, make a case for less distance and greater parity between social classes.
