IDENTITETSSKAPANDE I STUDENTFÖRENINGEN ULRIKA ... - DiVA

Background and Overall Aim
SUMMARY
S U M M A R Y
Students have always organised themselves in various types of societies, and
thereby also distinguished themselves vis-à-vis other students or other groups in
society. Through this and the social practices in the societies, the members
have constructed particular marked and marking identities. The present study
deals with some students’ societies at a present-day university and the process of
identity construction going on there.
The radical transformation of higher education during the last decades constitutes
the background of the study. In the 19th century the educational system
contributed to upholding gender and class distinctions and hence also the subordination
of women and the working classes. In the 20th century, however,
many reforms were made for the purpose of widening the recruitment to universities
with respect to both gender and class. Education has also been seen as a
tool for increasing equality and gender equity in society at large. What happens
in lecture halls and seminar rooms often seems, however, to be governed by
quite other principles: Researchers have shown that many different, and sometimes
very subtle, mechanisms contribute to maintaining unequal class and
gender power relations. One research question concerns the impact of social
class and gender on other activities in student life.
The concept of ‘the knowledge and information society’ is frequently used to
describe today’s society, and great importance is attached to higher education.
The demands on formal education have also been raised for many occupational
groups; at the same the labour market of many occupations is in practice diminishing,
and therefore education may be the only alternative to unemployment.
These changes are reflected for example in concepts such as ‘life-long learning’
and various forms of distance education. Never before have so many people
taken up higher education, and today we have generally started talking about
mass universities.
Since higher education is no longer reserved for a few people, its character of
elite education has undeniably been toned down. This has in turn led to the
value of academic degrees generally being not quite what it was at the beginning
of the last century. Today many academics are for example unemployed.
In order to positively distinguish oneself on the labour market it may be impor-
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