[Xmca-l] Re: MCA Issue 3 article for discussion Re-started

[Margaret A Eisenhart]

Alfredo, you asked: “is there not something of the same principle of 
privilege that runs through neoliberalism in the "standing" thing? Perhaps 
it's just my narrow understanding of the term, and of the theory as a 
whole, but it seems to me that privilege has something to do here: the 
same principle that pushes some classes down pushes them down when they 
begin to raise up in performance. Did other students rise up and begun 
performing better or moving to a more privileged position as the initially 
high-achieving ones begun failing? Is this notion of identity-as-standing 
not also within the same larger scheme of somebodies and nobodies?”



We think of identity-with-standing as a concept that draws attention to 
identities that bring status and prestige in local social and cultural 
context and suggest that such identities need to be examined for what they 
confer status and prestige on.  In our case, we do not think that what is 
conferred is worthwhile, even though it brings some local prestige.  It 
was not the case that other students moved up; it was the case that fewer 
and fewer students matched the achievement model of this 
identity-with-standing.  We don’t think the concept gets us away from 
somebodies and nobodies.

Margaret