Class-Specific Habitus and the Social Reproduction of the Business Elite in Germany and France

Abstract

Based on two empirical studies of senior executives, this article examines key aspects of

Poachers and gamekeepers: processes of class-based organisational closure and usurpation in Sri Lanka’s emerging private sector

“…Our analysis reveals how social closure is sustained and maintained over time, and simultaneously illuminates how discriminatory practices and processes are regularly breached. In contrast to the dominant view of organizational closure as deeply embedded, static and resistant to change (Hartmaan, 2000), our findings lead to a conceptualisation that is fluid and dynamic.…”

“…Rather, they are part of a complex picture. Sensitised by a societal effects approach (see Maurice et al 1980) we thus extend prevailing understandings of class based closure in organisations (Cooke et al 2012;Empson and Ashley, 2013;Hartmaan, 2000) by showing how organisational exclusion and usurpation are shaped by wider institutions such as the national education system, global market pressures and historical legacies. These coalesce to create nationally distinct features to these organizations (both nostalgic and modern) which are played out not only in organizations' processes of social closure, but also in individuals' responses.…”

“…Our respondents were well aware of these shifting sands, and their accounts vividly portrayed the ways in which they manoeuvred around these changing imperatives. Based on this evidence, we challenge prevailing understandings which depict closure processes as fixed and static (Sommerlad, 2007;Hartmaan, 2000) highlighting the flexible and contradictory nature of exclusionary processes in Sri Lanka's emerging private sector.…”

“…The concept of exclusionary closure has been used to examine class-based barriers in wellestablished occupations (Bourdieu, 1996;Hartmaan, 2000). For instance, studies into accountancy and law report the selection of graduates from elite universities to ensure social exclusivity (Rolfe and Anderson, 2003;Cooke et al 2012;Empson and Ashley, 2013).…”

“…We define leading Sri Lankan firms as those which have high profit margins and renowned brand names (see Hartmaan, 2000), and which distinguish themselves as prestigious in terms of the cultural, social and symbolic capital of their workforce. With generous remuneration packages, opportunities for career development, attention to work-life balance and, above all, their identification with the West these firms are seen as desirable graduate destinations.…”