Elite Status Research Articles

Family entrepreneurs and their next generations, 1809–1945: educational pathways of business elite in Finland

ABSTRACT This study investigated the history of family business elite education in Finland. It focused on family entrepreneurs who achieved the highest national business elite status between 1809 and 1945 and their successive generations. It explored the characteristics of their education within the framework of educational pathways. Data were sourced from the National Biography, which enabled the selection and examination of families belonging to the business elite up to the fifth generation. The results revealed that the family entrepreneurs and their successors focused on successor upbringing and competitive continuity in the family business. Their educational pathways, shaped by formal and informal education, varied in terms of the unique cultural contexts of their family dynasties. The families employed diverse strategies, including informal conservative education, self-education, growth-oriented education, family wealth governance, higher education-focused learning, industrial education, and elite education pathways. These pathways mirror first-generation family entrepreneurs’ education, the second generation’s evolving educational requirements (in succession, internationalization, and growth), and the third and subsequent generations (in corporate governance and wealth creation). While there were changes in educational needs and content across generations and contexts, this study underscores the importance of educational pathways in conceptualizing the educational history of family businesses.

Archaeological mineralised textiles from the Iron Age tumulus of Creney-le-Paradis support its elite status

Looting and plough damage to the eighth–fifth centuries BC tumulus of Creney-le-Paradis, France, hinders interpretation of this potentially significant site. Nevertheless, application of novel microtomographic techniques in combination with optical and scanning electron microscopy allows the first detailed examination of 99 textile fragments recovered from the central pit. The authors argue that the diversity of textiles revealed—at least 16 different items—and the quality of weaving involved confirm earlier interpretations of the high status of this burial, which is comparable, at least in terms of textiles and metal urns, with other ‘aristocratic’ tombs of the European Iron Age.

“It’s Not Like I Go Oh That’s Really Exciting” – A Qualitative Study of Upper Secondary School Students’ Identity Negotiations in Physics

AbstractTransitions between educational levels have been identified as posing potential barriers for students’ sense of belonging in science. In this paper, we focus on the transition from lower secondary to upper secondary school while foregrounding physics as a subject. We approach transitions as an ongoing negotiation-process of identities embedded within the norms, practices, and expectations of physics. Methodologically, we narrow the focus to students who self-identify as female, as these are underrepresented in physics worldwide. We apply the analytical lens of physics identity constructed through competence, performance, interest, and recognition while drawing on the concept of the ideal student to understand what identities are idealized and marginalized, and how these are negotiated by the students. We found that a large group of the students were marginalized in relation to their interests in physics and experienced learning physics to be instrumental and meaningless. Only a small group were able to form a sense of identity mainly due to the resemblances of physics to mathematics. In conclusion we call for attention on who counts as knowledgeable and what counts as knowledge in the physics classroom. Second, we wish to question interests as imperative for being in physics. Lastly, we urge reflection on mathematics’ role in physics and what physics is without mathematics to disrupt the elite status of the subject.

Immigrants’ Pathways to the Income Elite in Germany

Owing to their high political and social impact, studying elites is a growing strand of scholarship in sociology. In this research note, we investigate immigrants’ pathways into the income elite, that is, the top 1% of Germany’s income distribution. Using data from the German Microcensus from 2009 to 2018 covering more than three million observations, we examine the prevalence of immigrants in the elite and immigrants’ pathways to access the elite, that is, education, self-employment, country-of-origin effects and integration. Our results show that immigrants are underrepresented in the elite by 46%. Smaller returns to education and self-employment compared with natives drive this underrepresentation. Regarding immigrant-specific pathways, immigrants from EU countries, who face fewer legal, cultural and social barriers, have higher chances of being in the elite than immigrants from non-EU countries. Finally, we find no evidence of integration, that is, years since migration, affecting immigrants’ elite status.

Personal risk factors and types of sport associated with drive for thinness and drive for muscularity in NextGen athletes.

Professional and student-athletes are at risk of developing symptoms of eating disorders (ED), including drive for thinness and muscularity due to personal risk factors (e.g., low self-esteem) and sport-specific characteristics (e.g., sport requirements). However, limited studies have focused on ED symptoms among NextGen athletes (identified in Canada as élite or relève) who compete at the provincial, national, and international levels but are not yet part of national teams. As such, they have access to fewer financial resources and support from their sport federations, which can create additional stress for these athletes. The present study aimed to identify personal risk factors and types of sports associated with (a) drive for thinness and (b) drive for muscularity in NextGen athletes. These athletes (n = 254) aged between 14 and 25 years old completed an online questionnaire. Perfectionism, self-esteem in sport, drive for thinness, and drive for muscularity were, respectively, assessed by the Multidimensional Inventory of Perfectionism in Sport, the Sport State Self-Esteem Scale, the Eating Attitude Test-26, and the Drive for Muscularity Scale. Other personal risk factor (e.g., athletic status) were measured using in-house questions. Each personal risk factor was included in two multiple linear regressions, respectively, to determine which factors were most associated with drive for thinness and drive for muscularity. Analyses revealed that perfectionist aspirations during training were linked to a stronger desire for thinness. In addition, not being in school or not having a job were also linked to a stronger desire for thinness. Several variables were found to be associated with a greater desire for muscularity: being a male athlete, playing team sport, weight category sport or endurance sport (as opposed to esthetic sport), having elite status, being less satisfied with one's current sporting performance and having higher perfectionist aspirations during training. This study offers initial insights into the factors influencing EDs among NextGen athletes, which provides a foundation for deeper exploration and the creation or modification of targeted interventions. These findings can guide sport organizations in creating guidelines and programs to better support the next generation of national athletes (e.g., create programs to help athletes maintain investments outside).

Early sport specialization impact on rates of injury in collegiate and professional sport participation: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Early sport specialization (ESS) is prevalent among adolescent athletes aspiring for elite status. However, the impact of ESS on sports injury (SI) rates during their collegiate and professional careers remains unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluate the effect of ESS on SI rates during high-level sport participation. Data sources Search included PubMed, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, EMBASE, Cochrane, CINAHL, ERIC, and Medline. Study selection PRISMA guidelines were followed to identify peer-reviewed articles published until 01 August 2023. Eligible studies reported numbers of athletes in collegiate and professional teams, including national, in ESS and their counterpart category, along with the portion with at least one SI. Studies on concussion or non-contact injuries, or without explicit injury reports during elite sport participation were excluded. Of 526 studies, 13 met the criteria, and 5 were included in the quantitative analysis. These studies reported SIs on collegiate and professional athletes. A total of 3087 athletes were analyzed (ESS = 45%). The overall effect showed that ESS athletes had a lower odds ratio (OR = 0.7) of a SI during high-level sport participation, but this finding was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Results demonstrated that ESS athletes had a lower odds ratio (OR = 0.7) of a SI during elite sport participation, but the effect was not statistically significant. Articles with clear reports are scarce, and thus limit the impact of the findings in this study. High heterogeneity was evident in this analysis, largely due to lack of standardized terminology, evaluation, and data representation. Prospective studies that consider diverse athlete population of the same sport are warranted.

Para sport and anti-doping: a study of Swedish Para athletes' experiences and perceptions.

A well-functioning anti-doping system relies on being perceived by athletes as effective, fair, and practically feasible to implement. While research has highlighted the views of Olympic athletes on anti-doping over the past decade, the experiences and perceptions of Para athletes have not been extensively explored. The purpose of this study was to examine Swedish elite Para athletes' experiences and perceptions of the policy and practice of the anti-doping system. A quantitative cross-sectional approach was used, with a web survey elaborated from a survey with Olympic athletes adjusted for Para athletes with physical, visual, and intellectual impairments. The sample consisted of 66 active Para athletes competing at national or international level (response rate 71%). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and differences between subgroups were examined Fisher's exact test. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze open-ended questions. Most of the respondents expressed a positive outlook on the anti-doping system, advocating for comprehensive efforts. A significant portion (35%) had not received anti-doping education, with those who did reporting increased confidence in avoiding unintentional doping. Despite their elite status, half of the respondents had not undergone doping control. Mistrust regarding the system's effectiveness and fairness was identified, with over half of the participants emphasizing the need for new technical solutions to enhance procedures specifically tailored for Para athletes. The athletes in this study advocate for a Para sports-focused approach in the anti-doping system, emphasizing equal testing opportunities, procedural adjustments for independence and privacy, and increased access to education. The findings illuminate the unique conditions faced by athletes with impairments within the anti-doping system, offering valuable insights for policymaking in the development of anti-doping strategies tailored to Para athletes and their various impairments.

‘It's not a genuine elite’: partial habitus of advantage among Palestinian graduates of elite schools in Israel

ABSTRACT Within the marginalized Palestinian minority in Israel, a small elite has emerged; they are uniquely challenged as elite within their national group yet marginalized as citizens of the Jewish state. Through the perspectives of an elite private high school in Northern Israel, this qualitative study sought to elucidate this complicated reality. We asked graduates how they integrate their school experiences into their life narratives, understand and negotiate their elite identity in higher education and at work. We also wanted to know how their elite and minority national identities intersect and mutually influence each other. Similar to others' findings, their elite education facilitated academic distinction and distinguished careers. Yet, despite accomplishments, they view success primarily as an individual achievement, with limited collective impact. Their elite status is only partially realized due to constraints in translating privileges into broader action. Our research contributes to debates regarding elite education and stigmatized minority status.

What drives consumers to post more photos in online reviews? A trait activation theory perspective

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the influence of the reviewed establishment’s price level and the user’s social network size and reputation status on consumers’ tendency to post more visual imagery content. Furthermore, it explores the moderating effects of user experiences and geographic distance on these dynamics.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a multi-method approach to explore both the determinants behind the sharing of user-generated photos in online reviews and their internal mechanisms. Using a comprehensive secondary data set from Yelp.com, the authors focused on restaurant reviews from a prominent tourist destination to construct econometric models incorporating time-fixed effects. To enhance the robustness of the authors’ findings, the authors complemented the big data analysis with a series of controlled experiments.FindingsThe reviewed establishments price level and the users reputation status and social network size incite corresponding motivations conspicuous display “reputation seeking” and social approval motivating users to incorporate more images in reviews. “User experiences can amplify the influence of these factors on image sharing.” An increase in the users geographical distance lessens the impact of the price level on image sharing, but it heightens the influence of the users reputation and social network size on the number of shared images.Practical implicationsAs a result of this study, high-end establishments can increase their online visibility by leveraging user-generated visual content. A structured rewards program could significantly boost engagement by incentivizing photo sharing, particularly among users with elite status and extensive social networks. Additionally, online review platforms can enhance users’ experiences and foster more dynamic interactions by developing personalized features that encourage visual content production.Originality/valueThis research, anchored in trait activation theory, offers an innovative examination of the determinants of photo-posting behavior in online reviews by enriching the understanding of how the intricate interplay between users’ characteristics and situational cues can shape online review practices.

THE EARLIEST ANATOLIAN ITEM MADE OF METEORIC IRON: AN AMULET FROM THE BODRUM KESIKSERVI EARLY BRONZE AGE I CEMETERY

SummaryMuch information about the early periods of south‐western Anatolia consists of data obtained from graves and finds therefrom. The amulet of meteoric iron that is the subject of this article was found in the Kesikservi cemetery, on the Bodrum peninsula, and dates to Early Bronze Age I. It was unearthed in the pithos grave of a male aged between twenty and twenty‐five years that is one of the richest such burials in Western Anatolia: it also contained five vessels, lids, a golden spiral, silver bracelets, a necklace of electrum and agate beads, and pieces of arsenical copper, all of which indicate his elite status. The amulet is the earliest dated find of meteoric iron from Anatolia, and demonstrates the existence of advanced metallurgy in the region during the period.

Morphological Analysis Of Hybrid Compounds In Urdu Afsanas (Short Stories)

One of the significant morphological processes in a language is the way separate lexemes combine to form compound words. This process gives birth to Hybrid compound. Hybrid compounds are the compounds which are formed by the combination of one word from the source and one from the target language. As Pakistan and India have been British colonies and English still holds elite status in these regions, Urdu and Hindi have a large number of lexis which borrowed from English. The paper aims at analyzing the existence and nature of hybrid compounds in Urdu Language resulting from borrowing English words. A qualitative study was carried out by researchers and the selected corpus from Urdu short stories of Saadat Hussain Manto, Intazar Hussain, Shafeeq-ur-Rahman, Patras Bukhari, and Nimrah Ahmed was used to explore hybrid compounds in Urdu Literature. Fifty compound words were identified out of which 20 Hybrid compounds were observed. Partial borrowing was observed in short stories which provides evidence of hybrid compounding. Endocentric attributive, coordinative and subordinative and Exocentric attributive and subordinative compounds were observed and analyzed. Semantic transparency has been detected in all endocentric compounds where semantic opacity appears in exocentric compounds with some cultural schema at work.

Attitudinal Legacies of Dictatorship

What are the longer-term consequences of premigratory experiences on the political attitudes of those who migrate out of extremely authoritarian regimes? In this paper, using data from an original survey of North Korean defectors in South Korea conducted in 2022, we examine whether attitudes on executive power, self-sacrifice for the sake of the national community (postmigration), state ownership, and the duty to participate politically, vary among North Korean defectors, and whether those attitudes are based on their individual experiences in North Korea. Although we find little evidence that defectors express a greater willingness to sacrifice for the nation, former members (especially male members) of the Workers’ Party of Korea are significantly more likely than nonparty members to express support for a strong unchecked leader. Some other indicators of elite status (such as higher education and organizational leadership) also suggest that defectors who were elites are more likely than defectors with less elite backgrounds to retain elements of the authoritarian socialization they experienced in North Korea.

I Justify Myself, Therefore I am. Regimes Of Justification In Chilean Elite Universities

Few studies focus on understanding the role of universities in the elites’ legitimation processes. This article examines how elite universities -in the context of Chilean tertiary education massification- actively create privileged statuses. Focusing on eight case studies, we examine how these universities justify their roles and existence, generating distinctions that promote highly exclusive spaces, replicating elite privilege. Through 48 semi-structured interviews, this article focuses on understanding the justification arguments employed by faculty and deans from these elite institutions. Following Boltanski’s and Thévenot’s theoretical model, the results illustrate three different justification regimes: i) arguing for their elite status within the university system; ii) justifying the role they fulfil within Chilean society; and iii) defending their existence in the social structure. These regimes combine arguments relating to social justice, efficiency and market system performance in an eclectic and pragmatic way.

Maybe listening to the elite? Selective deliberation as a governance tool in rural China

AbstractIn order to improve local governance, the central government has, among other strategies, begun to introduce institutions for deliberation in rural China. This article analyses the implementation and consequences of this framework in two villages in rural Gansu Province. It shows that the current promotion of these institutions is a top‐down political effort and not a system with genuine local roots. Our findings also suggest that without strict legal requirements for deliberative institutions, village cadres do not follow the enactment of officially warranted procedures, which often may lead to rather formalistic implementation. Opportunities for deliberation seem to be offered only to those members of the community who are the most likely to be able to contribute social or financial capital to the local administration's agenda. This suggests that at least in this local setting, the rationale of introducing deliberation institutions clearly was to improve existing policy implementation and not to provide meaningful new avenues for participation. While this variant of deliberative institutions further raises the status of the rural elite, it appears to frustrate ordinary villagers and reduce their interest in these instruments.

Academic Success at Social Costs: An Exploratory Study on Social Networks of Chinese Students under Academic Streaming.

In universities that require students to reside in dormitories, there are two types of social networks-study/classroom-based and social/dorm room-based. The academic streaming system may disrupt study/classroom connections, but its impact on students' social networks is unknown. Using self-reported surveys, this study examines ego network measures of network sizes, turnover, multiplexity, and diversity among 382 students (44% female, 56% male). Surveys were administered before and after the university employed a first-semester grade-point average to demote or promote students into an honours college. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 11 honours students staying within their track and 11 students who were re-streamed to the non-honours track. Quantitative results showed that students in the non-honours college and who remained there had increasingly overlapping friendship circles between study and social environments, along with more diverse social connections, indicating stronger networks. In contrast, honours participants experienced fewer overlapping networks across domains and less dispersed social ties, especially after the academic replacement process. Qualitative results showed that the honours students faced a trade-off between academic success and social engagement in maintaining their elite status. Re-streamed students experienced otherness in social groups and decreased psychological wellbeing. This study contributes to the application of network analysis in education and provides insights into the unintended consequences of educational practice on students' social networks.

Diet, Status, and incipient social Inequality: Stable isotope data from three complex Fisher-Hunter-Gatherer sites in southern California

How different were the lives of elites and commoners in early complex societies? This paper examines this question using data from three fisher-hunter-gatherer sites in southern California. Using shell bead counts from burials as proxies for social status and previously published human stable isotope values as indicators of dietary practices, we examine the relationship between diet and status across a period of major sociopolitical change. Our results found no significant relationships between the quantity of beads and stable isotope values, indicating that differential access to foods was not a significant way in which status was manifested in these communities. Instead, we suggest that activities including ownership of sea-going canoes, access to imported goods, and the provisioning of community feasts were likely venues for elite status signaling.

Introduction: The Life of the Mind in the Early Republic

Abstract: This essay introduces the five articles of this issue’s special forum on American intellectual history in the early republic. Including other recent works in the field, the essay evaluates how current scholarship diverges from or corrects the conventional narrative that has centered elite Anglo-Protestant intellectuals from the beginning of the discipline until recently. Defining terms including “America” and “intellectual” is crucial to understanding the various contributions and how they collectively turn away from American exceptionalism, a progressive view of American history, the notion of a collective American mind, and the acceptance of intellectual authority or elite status as indicative of historical value. Indigenous, African American, Catholic, Mexican-American, and Californiana voices reveal American thinkers who were skeptical of Anglo-Protestant premises, had perspectives worth considering, and made contributions to the history of American thought even while historians ignored them. The current generation of scholarship in American intellectual history marks a major revision of the last great disciplinary revision of the field after the rise of the new social history. Yet despite this promise, the institutional deterioration of higher education in the United States imperils the field.

Deputations of the Kazakh Ruling Elite to the Court of the Russian Emperors (mid – second half of the 19th century)

The article explores the history of Kazakh deputations to the Russian imperial court in the mid-to-late 19th century. For the first time in historiography, we have analyzed the deputative missions of the Kazakhs during this period as a mechanism for interaction between the imperial ruling circles and the steppe elite. The article aims to scrutinize the goals and objectives of sending deputations, the composition of participants, and the characteristics of this practice throughout its existence.
 Amidst the social transformation of Kazakh society – spurred by the integration of the steppe region into the broader imperial space – the status of the local elite began to be determined more by personal merits to the empire than by class origin. The Russian authorities viewed the practice of deputations as a means of bolstering the loyalty of the steppe aristocracy, and also to draw them in as participants in the empire’s civilizing mission in the East.
 For the Kazakh elite, this practice provided an opportunity to solidify the authority among their peers, served as recognition of their merits at the highest level, and offered a path to integrate into the pan-Russian administrative class. Over the period in question, the number of petitions submitted by representatives of the Kazakh elite has consistently dwindled. By the end of the 19th century, the practice of deputations had ultimately degenerated and began to assume a mostly symbolic role.
 This article is intended for specialists studying the policy of the Russian Empire in Kazakhstan.

‘The Northern chemist’—Truth behind the stereotype in the British scientific elite?

In a prosopographical study of the British scientific elite, defined as Fellows of the Royal Society born since 1900, chemists were found to be distinctive in their social origins and schooling, being more likely than Fellows in other fields to come from relatively disadvantaged class backgrounds and to have attended state rather than private secondary schools. In thinking of possible explanations, we called to mind the student stereotype of ‘the Northern chemist’. Could this give some indications of how it should come about that those chemists who enter the scientific elite—a small minority—tend to differ from other elite members in the ways in question? Our more detailed analyses of the biographies of elite chemists, comparing those of different class origins, point to the following conclusions. The Northern chemist was a male stereotype, and chemists prove to be more predominantly male than other members of the scientific elite. Young people, mainly male, often growing up in industrial areas of the North of England (or in Wales) and in families whose male members were in manual work, were particularly likely to develop an interest in chemistry rather than in other sciences, and it was in chemistry that state education gave them their greatest comparative advantage over those privately educated. Generalising from these analyses, we suggest that a larger pool was created in chemistry than in other scientific fields of people who were of relatively disadvantaged social origins and state educated, and that this difference was then maintained through into the social composition of the small number of chemists who eventually gained elite status.

The Invention of Legacy

According to elite and mass surveys, the late-Soviet sociopolitical and economic order was largely perceived as the only viable alternative to domestic political and economic status quo in Russia before 2022. Political elites invested significant efforts and funds into deliberative promotion of a complex of ideational legacies through different tools (including cinematography). This complex, labeled a “Good Soviet Union,” is an imagined sociopolitical and economic order, which somehow resembles that of the late-Soviet past, while lacking its inherent flaws. Elements of the Soviet legacy were selectively chosen for the sake of preservation of the politico-economic status quo. They include the hierarchical mechanism of governance, low circulation of elites and their privileged status, state control over media, and repressions toward organized dissent. Meanwhile, other elements of the late-Soviet past, such as relatively low inequality and certain state social guarantees, have been discarded. A “Good Soviet Union” model includes not only market economy and no shortages of goods and services, but also a lack of institutional constraints on rent-seeking and legalization of wealth and status of elites. In this article, we consider a “Good Soviet Union” as a socially constructed legacy of the past and focus on mechanisms of translation of this legacy into Russia’s current agenda through the use of modern Russian cinematography and analysis of policy preferences on the part of political elites. We further consider its effects on politics and policy-making, as well as its limitations and constraints. Some implications of the social construction of Soviet legacies are discussed in the conclusion.