Christian Huaman

IB Social Anthropology

Discuss how class becomes the basis of identity formation

As a society, we tend to want to achieve equality, whether it be in legal rights, salaries, among others.

The truth is that true equality is not possible as there are personal traits that differ individuals from the rest, and

more importantly, social classes that create divisions in society based primarily on the wealth of a person. Social

class is prevalent as it places people in different categories by looking at their economic status and puts them in

a class that could be high or low, in other words, wealthy or poor. Belonging to a class is a huge part of a

persons development, from infancy to adulthood, as it can significantly differ from those in other classes which

is why class becomes the basis of identity formation.

The impact that social class has in the lives of a person, especially a young wealthy one, is clearly

noticeable in the book, Privilege: The Making of an Adolescent Elite at St. Pauls School by the American

sociologist Shamus Rahman Khan in 2011, where Professor Khan examines the students of his school, their

privilege and social interactions with others. Moreover, the impact of social class is also particularly highlighted

in the film Born Rich by American filmmaker Jamie Johnson in 2003, where Jamie himself interviews other

young people that are also children of wealthy parents and share their experiences about their position in

society.

Pierre Bourdieu is a french sociologist and anthropologist who believes that a person gains knowledge

and experience by belonging to a social class. In order to explain his theory, he came up with cultural capital

which is defined as the collection of symbolic elements that a person obtains by being part of a social class, and

habitus which refers to the physical embodiment of the cultural capital. These both work to explain that

belonging to a social class surely opens up a door of unique possibilities for a person in order to fit in in a

seemingly manner. These possibilities include skills, background, knowledge, among others that are passed

down from generations and typically remain in the same social class. As seen in the film Born Rich, most of

the time, a person is already born in a social class based on their parents social class. Even though they may not

be aware of their economic advantage over others, they still get the benefits and privileges that others do not.
 Christian Huaman
IB Social Anthropology

This means that as a young person, one does not have total control over the people you interact with, or over the

things you learn, rather it is already predetermined.

Furthermore, American philosopher Judith Butler believes that our identity is based on our performances

and actions. That in fact, gender does not exist, it is mostly made up of coercions and it is only real to the extent

at which it is performed. Similarly to this, is the idea that people believe that being wealthy immediately and

undoubtedly means that success for their children. There is a cognitive bias, or a subjective social reality, from

people to believe this despite it not always being necessarily true. The class separation from wealthy to poor

individuals began as a result of some individuals striving to succeed either by starting a new business or

developing new technology. In contrast to this idea, and noting the change over time, in the book Privilege,

Khan explains that meritocracy is often not the case anymore because the wealthier teens now have a belief that

it is their right and they deserve access to all the benefits of a higher social class despite not necessarily doing

all work their parents had to. As a matter of fact, they may not be as successful as their parents but given their

status, society will always find a way to make them look better than the rest. They inherit tons of money and are

taught to be the elite of society, rather than the common men.

It is often argued that economic status is based on a meritocracy, that if a person works hard, they will

eventually become successful. This claim does not consider the loophole that a lower social class can bring as it

ties you down and limit your chances of success. Khan addresses that because of his heritage, his economic

status was often questioned, but unlike other immigrants, his parents were financially successful. Starting from

a young age, we allow the social classes to affect our lives and form our identities. This is because the people

that surround us typically belong to the same social class and it is extremely difficult to escape it. It does not

matter whether you are wealthy or poor, society does everything possible to keep us in our social class by

increasing or limiting our chances.