Multi‐sited Global Ethnography and Elite Schools

Abstract

In this chapter, the authors outline why and how they developed and deployed the notion of multi-sited global ethnography to study elite schools, globalization, and social class formations and expressions. They offer some selected glimpses of the narratives and insights that arose through their inquiries. The authors look at the intersections between two conceptual frameworks: M. Burawoy's framework for global ethnographies: global forces, global connections, and global imaginations; and framework for sociological inquiry into elite schools: identity, curriculum, culture, community, and nation/national context. These are the key elements identified by ethnographic and other research as central to the elite schooling/social class nexus. This matrix focuses attention both on the institutional life of the school and its more extended communities, and on the ways they are interwoven with global forces, connections, and imaginations.

Full text

18
MultisitedGlobalEthnographyandEliteSchools :A
MethodologicalEntrée
JaneKenway,JohannahFahey,DebbieEpstein,AaronKoh,CameronMcCarthy,and
FazalRizvi
Introduction
Eliteschoolsareclasschoreographersparexcellence.Theyputtogetheraveryartful
performance.Andtheirintricateandrefinedclasschoreographylendsitselfwellto
ethnographicinquiry.Ethnographershaveprovidedrichandevocativedescriptiveand
narrativeaccountsofthefinelytunedminutiaeinvolved.Themorerecentbooklengthstudies
includeHoward(2008),GaztambideFernández(2009),Khan(2011),andCharles(2014).Of
theolderrichlyqualitative(ifnotethnographicintheconventionalsense)studiesofenduring
relevance,Connelletal.(1982)andCooksonandPersell(1985)standout.Collectively,they
helptobuildasystemicpictureofhoweliteschoolsundertaketheirclasswork.Butcertain
issuesarise.
Withsomesignificantexceptions,suchstudiesusuallyinvolveonlysmallnumbersofschool
sitesinonenationallocation.Consequently,theyruntheriskof“methodologicalnationalism”
(Chernilo2006;Amelinaetal.2012).Thisconstructsthesociopoliticalinnationalor
internationaltermsand,inturn,drawsattentionawayfromtransnationalism,whichOng
definesas“theconditionofculturalinterconnectednessandmobilityacrossspace–whichhas
beenintensifiedunderlatecapitalism”(Ong1999:4).Theglobalizationofclassmakingand
therolethatsuchschoolsplay,andhaveplayed,thereinislargelyoffsuchethnographers’
researchagenda.Alongwiththiscomesaformofpresentism;historicalsensibilitiesare
limited.EthnographerscancertainlylearnagreatdealfromstudiessuchasCiaranO’Neill’s
CatholicsofConsequence(2014).Further,intheEnglishlanguagestudiesatleast,aformof
whatWang(2014)calls“methodologicalWesternism”isofteninvolved.Thereinthinkingand
theorizingarisingfromtheWest,andtheglobalNorth,istransferredto“therest”(seeKohand
Kenway2016).Certainly,overthelastfewyears,theEnglishlanguagefieldofeliteschool
studieshasaltered.Thisisillustratedinvariouseditedcollectionswhichincludeethnographic
andotherstudiesfrombeyondtheAnglosphere–someofwhichdoactuallyquestion
“methodologicalWesternism.”Further,inthemain,conventionalethnographicapproachesto
studiesofeliteschoolshavenotbeencriticallyengaged.Andfewcreativeethnographic
approachesareavailable(see,however,Prosser2014:Fahey,Prosser,andShaw2015).
Finally,conventionaleliteschoolethnographies,likeconventionalschoolethnographiesmore
generally,frequentlyinvolvea“fieldworkfetishandtheerasureoftheory”(Colemanandvon
Hellermann2011:12).Allsuchmattersprovideawarrantfortheapproachthatweelaborate
onhere(seefurther,Kenway2015).
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Ourpurposeinthischapteristwofold:first,tooutlinewhyandhowwedevelopedand
deployedthenotionofmultisitedglobalethnography tostudyeliteschools,globalization,
andsocialclassformationsandexpressions;andsecond,tooffersomeselectedglimpsesof
thenarrativesandinsightsthatarosethroughourinquiries.WedrawheavilyherefromKenway
etal.(2017).1Theseglimpsesarecertainlynotintendedtoofferacompletepictureofour
“findings.”Rather,insharingthemweillustratewhatknowledgeandinsightsthismethod
makespossible.Weconcludewithabriefcommentonwhyourapproachmayberegardedas
profaneincomparisonwithmoreconventionalethnographicnormsandforms,andthenoffera
fewnormsandformsofourown.Thesearesuggestive,wethink,forfutureethnographies–
includingbutnotexclusivelythoseaddressingeducation.
MultisitedGlobalEthnography
Wedrawfromafiveyear(March2010toMarch2015)multinational,multisited,global
ethnographicstudyofeliteschools,globalization,andchangingclassformations,conductedby
aninternationalteam.2Thisstudyexploredhow,acrossthesedifferenttimesandspaces,elite
schoolsmakeandremakeclassandhowtheyarticulatewithothermodalitiesofpowerand
privilege.Itwasconductedinsevendifferentschools3–OldCloistersinBarbados,Straits
SchoolinSingapore,RiponCollegeinIndia,FoundersinAustralia,GreystoneSchoolinSouth
Africa,CathedralCollegeinHongKong,andHighburyHallinEngland.4Theschoolswe
focusedonareallbasedontheBritishpublicschoolmodelandarebestdescribedasoldelite
schools.Indeedallofthemareover100yearsold.Allhaveproducedmanyinfluentialpeople
andhavepowerfulconnections;theirrecordsillustrateconsiderablesuccessinendof
schoolexamsandprestigiousuniversityentranceandoveralltheyhaveexcellentreputations.
Mostofourresearchschoolsareindependentofgovernmentcontrolandchargehighfees,and
mostarewealthyandverywellresourcedincomparisonwiththemajorityofotherschoolsin
thenationaleducationsystemthattheyarepartof.Twoaregirls’schools,oneisaboys’
school,andtheremainingfourarecoeducational(althougheachbeganasaboys’schooland
onlyquiterecentlybecamecoeducational;oneofthesewasaboys’schoolupuntilthelast
twoyearsofschooling).
Ourmethodologicalapproachwasdevelopedinbroadconversationwiththeethnographic
studiesmentionedabove,withethnographicstudiesofclassformationandrelationsandalso
withthesociologyandanthropologyofglobalization–withtheirinterestintheglobally
interconnected,interdependent,andhighlymobileworld(e.g.,Heiman,Freeman,andLiechty
2012;AbbinkandSalverda2014).Morespecifically,itwasdesignedasamultisited
ethnographyfollowingMarcus’s(1998,2011)argumentthat“multisited”ethnographiesare
wellplacedtoexplorethe“complexconnections”betweensitesthatareassociatedwith
globalization.
ShapingourinquirieswasthematrixshowninTable18.1.Itlooksattheintersectionsbetween
twoconceptualframeworks:(1)Burawoyetal.’s(2000)frameworkforglobalethnographies:
globalforces,globalconnections,andglobalimaginations;and(2)ourframeworkfor
sociologicalinquiryintoeliteschools:identity,curriculum,culture,community,and
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

nation/nationalcontext.Theselatterarethekeyelementsidentifiedbyethnographicandother
researchascentraltotheeliteschooling/socialclassnexus.Thismatrixfocusesattentionboth
ontheinstitutionallifeoftheschoolanditsmoreextendedcommunities,andonthewaysthey
areinterwovenwithglobalforces,connections,andimaginations.Spaceprecludesusfrom
fullypopulatingthematrix,butsomeselectedexampleswillillustratesomeoftheissueswe
examinedinrelationtothevariouscells.
Table18.1Conceptualmatrix
Theelite
school
Globalforces Globalconnections Globalimaginations
Identity
(students
particularly)
Sociallyselective
intakes.Historical
andeconomic
sensibilities.
“Flexiblecitizenship”?
Transnationalor
multinational?
“Possiblelives”asglobal
leadersenvisagedvia
variousactivitiesand
representations.
Curriculum Specializationin
andconcentration
onhigh
status/high
stakesknowledge.
Internationalmobility;
linguisticmulticultural
capital;orientationto
foreignuniversityentryand
curricula.
Attractiveimaginingsof
internationalstudyand
careersinknowledge
driven,highpowered
employmentmarkets.
Culture
(organizational
climateand
ethos)
Hothousing
appropriateelite
aspirationsand
orientationstothe
economy.
Developingcrossborder
tiesandnetworksand
transnationalsocialcapital;
building“integrative”social
practices.
School’swebbasedimages
ofsuccessontheglobal
stageandtheimpliedlinks
betweentheschooland
globalelites.
Community
(familiesand
alumni)
Economiccapital,
socialclass
orientations.
Transnationallifestyle:
expensive,exclusive,
multicontinent,global
alumniorganizations.
Representationsofdesirable
“communitiesofsentiment.”
National
context
Coloniallegacies;
nationallocation
intheglobal
economy.
Participationin
internationaleliteschool
associationsanddeveloping
international
school/universitypartners.
Activitiesthatmotivatethe
schoolitselftobecomemore
globallyagential.
Distinctivenotionsoftheresearch“site”or“field”andofethnographicfieldworkwere
involved.Eachschool’sidentity,curricula,culture,community,andnationalmilieuwere
mattersofinterestbutnotperse.Rather,ourfocuswasonwhetherandhowtheyarticulated
withglobalforces,connections,andimaginations–howthesewereexperiencedand
expressedbytheschoolsandalsohowtheschoolssoughttoshapethem.
Ourdesignincludedthreeweeksperyearoverthreeconsecutiveyearsoffieldworkineach
school.Ourfieldworkwasalwaysinpairsortriosofresearchers;atleastonepersonhada
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

historyofconnectiontothecountry(countryoforiginand/orworkplace);onewasastranger.
Thisproducedafruitfulethnographictensionbetweenexpectedandunexpectedlinesof
inquiry.Whileatthesites,twoorthreeofusgatheredandgenerateddatathroughconventional
ethnographic–andother–techniques.Theseincludedobservationsofinstitutionalpractices,
events,documents,andtheschools’semioticecologies,interviews,andfocusgroup
discussionsinvolvingstudents,teachersandotherstaff,theschoolprincipal,andleading
membersoftheschools’governingbody,alumniandparents’associations;italsoinvolved
informalconversationswithmembersoftheschool.Further,10studentsfromeachschool
wereinterviewedintheirsecondlastandfinalyearofschoolandintheirsecondyearoutof
school.Weobservedschoolactivitiesandeventsconductedbeyondtheschoolwalls;for
instance,schooltoursandcharitableactivities.Wealsovisitedotherschoolsofdifferent
ordersofwealthandstandinginthevicinity.Andweminedtheschools’historicalarchives–
theirartifactsandrecordsaswellastheirrepresentationsoftheirownhistory.
However,thematterdoesnotstopthere,forourmultisitedglobalethnographywasofthe
sevenschoolscollectively.Thequestionsthataroseinoneschoolprovokedfreshlinesof
inquiryinothers.Eachsitewasgenerativefortherestandthisallowedustoidentify
connectionsbetweenthem,aswellaspatternsofconvergenceanddivergenceacrossthe
schoolsandtheirlocations.Wewere,inasense,“dwellingintravel”(Clifford1997a,1997b)
andourtravelsto,from,around,andbetweentheseschoolsitesalsoformedpartofthestudy
(Epstein,Fahey,andKenway2013).Ourmovementbetweentheschoolsallowedusto
comprehenddifferentexpressionsofeliteness.Further,livinglocally,whenweundertookour
fieldwork,allowedustomoveaboutintheschool’sneighborhood,suburb,andcityandtoget
asenseoftheschoolinitsplace.Thishelpedusgainarelationalexperienceoftheimmediate
geographiesofinequalitythattheseschoolsarepartof(e.g.,KenwayandProsser2015).
Further,space/timealteringtechnologiesallowedournotionsof“thesite”tobemorefluid.
Weconductedfieldworkinvirtualspacethatenabledus,betweenourannualvisits,tokeepup
todatewithourschoolsviatheirwebsites,relevantFacebookpages,andlocaldigitalnews
items;interviewingstudents(oncetheyleftschoolandwerescatteredaroundtheworld)via
Skypeandstayingintouchwiththeiractivities,wherepossible,viatheirFacebookpages;
followingtheactivitiesofrelevanteliteschoolorganizationsontheirwebsites;and,also,
conductingprojectteammeetingsonSkype.Ourstudy,then,wasmultisited,multimethod,
andhistoricallysensitive.
Asmuchaspossible,wesoughttoexcavateourresearchschools’history–individuallyand
collectively.WesoughttogainasenseofthehistoryofthepublicschoolmodelinEngland,of
howthismodeltraveledfromthecenteroftheempiretothecolonies,howitwasadoptedand
adaptedindifferentcolonialandpostcolonialconditions,andhowthismodelisstillpresentin
contemporaryglobalcircumstances.Butwealsoconsideredhowhistoryismobilizedas
resource–howitisused.
GlobalForces
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

ForBurawoyetal.,“globalforces”areonerelevant“slice”(theothersbeing“connections”
and“imaginations”)intheprocessofseparatingoutanunderstandingofglobalization(2000:
xii).Suchforcesentailtaking“externalforcestoagloballevel”andareviewedasa“product
ofcontingentsocialprocesses”(Burawoy2000:29).Burawoyidentifiesimperialinterests,
colonialhistory,andcapitalismassomesuchglobalforces.Bydistinguishingtheseforces,a
greatersenseofthe“concreteanddynamic”dimensionsofthe“globaleconomy,polityand
culture”(p.29)isenvisaged.
ColonialismwasanexpansionistmomentintheprocessofglobalizationasthebigEuropean
nationsstruggledtogaincontrolofremoteand“underdeveloped”regionsinordertosupport
theirownindustrialgrowth(Hobsbawm1969).Butthecolonialperiodofnineteenthcentury
expansionwasmuchmorethancompetitionbetweenEuropeannations.Itwasthefoundation
periodforglobalcapitalism,adevelopmentthatwenowsimplytakeforgranted.Clearly,ona
globalscaletheseforcesintersectincomplex,unevenwaysinrelationtovariousnationsand
regions.Theyalsointersectwiththefoundationanddevelopmentofourresearchschools.
LetusgotoBarbadostoillustratethepoint.First,wewillofferafarreachingviewofthe
implicationsofthesemajorforcesforthehistoryofOldCloisters.Second,wewilldiscuss
howhistoryismobilizedinthepresentinsomeoftheminutiaeofallourschools.Old
Cloistersstartedasacharityschool,foundedin1733toeducate“thepoorboysoftheparish.”
Itsfounderisinvariablyreferredtoasa“merchant/trader”ora“resident/landowner.”Hewas,
moreprecisely,asugarplantationownerandaslaveholderandOldCloisterswasspecifically
foundedtoeducatethepoorwhiteboysoftheparish.Overtime,OldCloisters’student
populationchanged,mirroringawidersocialhistoryofBarbados.Intheearly1800s,the
schoolshiftedfromprovidinganeducationforpoorwhiteboystoprovidinganeducationfor
wealthywhiteboys.In1834,afewgifted,poor,Blackmalestudentswereabletoattendthe
schooland,intheaftermathofthe1937riots,itbecameabastionforthecultivationofaBlack
politicalelite.OldCloistersopeneditsdoorstoall11yearoldmalesonthebasisof
academicmeritandwithoutpaymentoffeeswhenuniversal,free,secondaryeducationwas
introducedinBarbadosinthepostIndependence1960s;and,inthe1970s,theschoolbecame
coeducational.ThesedetailsplaceOldCloistersinhistoricalcontext.Inotherwords,they
contributetoourunderstandingofthedevelopmentofthesocialrealityofthetimes,whereby
theschoolisintrinsicallyassociatedwithBarbados’scolonialhistory.Here,StuartHalloffers
importantinsightsabouttheconnectionbetweencolonialismandcapitalism,andthedynamic
re/productionofparticularsocialformationsinthisrealm:
racialstructurescannotbeunderstoodadequatelyoutsidetheframeworkofquitespecific
setsofeconomicrelations.Unlessoneattributestoraceasingle,unitary,transhistorical
character…onemustdealwiththehistoricalspecificityofraceinthemodernworld.Here
oneisthenobligedtoagreethatracerelationsaredirectlylinkedwitheconomicprocesses:
historicallywiththeepochsofconquest,colonizationandmercantilistdomination…the
problemhereisnotwhethereconomicstructuresarerelevanttoracialdivisionsbuthow
thetwoaretheoreticallyconnected.(Hall1980:308)
DevelopingHall’sideasaboutthehistoricalspecificityofrace(andhistoricallyspecific
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

racism)bydrawingonAppadurai’snotionthat“historiesproducegeographiesandnotvice
versa”(Appadurai2013:66),wecontendthat,intermsofcolonialconquest,economic
relationsandtheirattendantracialstructuresareproducedovertimeandinparticularplaces
by“historicalagents,institutions,actorsandpowers”(Appadurai,2013:66).Thus,ratherthan
assumingthatthedynamicsofBritishcolonialismcanbeunderstoodassomeunitary
representationextendedfromthemetropole,wearguethatwhilesharedpatternsexisted,
Britishcolonialismalsomanifesteditselfdifferentlyindifferentplaces.Inthisrespect,we
cannotfullyunderstandtheroleOldCloistersplayedinBarbados,andthereasonsitoriginally
cateredtosomesocialgroupsandnotothers,withoutframingitintermsofthehistoryof
BritishcolonialismparticulartoBarbados,thelinksbetweenBritishcolonialismand
capitalism,andthepivotalroleofslaveryinthiscontext.
BarbadoswastheBritishEmpire’searliesttropicalagriculturalcolony,claimedassuchin
1627whenaprivatecompanyfinanceditssettlementwiththesupportofKingCharlesI.At
firstitexportedtobacco(fromwhich,initially,quickprofitsweremade)andcottonandthen,
between1640and1660,itshiftedtotheproductionandexportationofsugar(Watson2013).
Duringthisperiodofsettlement,“descendantsofWelsh,ScottishandIrishfamilies,[were]
broughttoBarbadosasservantsbytheEnglish”(Lewis2001:173)andwhiteindentured
servantscontinuedtobetransportedtoBarbadosevenafterthisinitialperiodofEnglish
settlement.Forexample,from1653to1658(theCromwellianperiodinEngland),nearly7000
Irishwere“barbadosed”totheisland(Watson2013).Asaresult,Barbadosquicklyacquired
thelargestwhitepopulationofanyoftheEnglishcoloniesintheAmericas.Priortothe
RestorationofthemonarchyinEnglandin1660,“indenturedlabourwascheaperthanslave
labour”(Beckles2007:28):thefirstsugarplantationworkerswere,therefore,whiteservants
–providingbondedlabor,whichmeantworkingforfood,accommodation,clothing,and
trainingbutnotwages–theirpaleskinundoubtedlyburningseverelyundertherelentless
Barbadiansun.
Asthesugarindustrybegantoburgeonandthedemandforlaborincreased,sotoodidthecost
ofwhitelabor.Itwas,therefore,marketforcesandthespecificproblemoflaborshortage(that
is,thescarcityofcheap,whitelabor)thatdeterminedtheriseofBlackslaveryinBarbados.
BlackslaveswereimportedinlargenumbersfromtheGoldCoastregionofAfricain
particular,especiallyfromwhataretodaythecountriesofGhanaandNigeria.Itisestimated
that,between1640and1807,some387,000Africanswereshippedtotheislandagainsttheir
will(Watson2013),workingunderduressonsugarplantationsandgainingnothinginreturn.
Moreover,evenafterslaverywasabolishedinBarbadosin1834,“free”menandwomen
continuedtoprovideforcedlaborintheformofintenselyexploitative“apprenticeships”
(Paton2007),theironly“payment”tinyhuts,called“chattelhouses,”thatcouldeasilybe
movedofftheland(whichremainedthepropertyoftheplantationowners)andreassembled
elsewhere.
OldCloisterswasopenedamidstconcern–undoubtedlyinfluencedbyChristianvalues–
amongstthewhitedominantclassesaboutthecontinuingeconomicdeclineofpoorwhites.
Poorwhites,thedescendantsofwhiteindenturedservants,wereundoubtedlyconsideredtobe
thesocialinferiorsoftheplantationowner.Thatsaid,theywereundeniablyconsidered
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

superiortothepoorBlackslavesownedbythefounderofOldCloistersandwhomhe
inventoriedinhiswill,alongwithcattleandstock,asmereproperty.Schools,suchasOld
Cloisters,were,therefore,establishedspecificallyfortheeducationofthisindigentwhite
populationatleastinparttoallowforupwardsocialmobility(Lewis2001).Precisely
becausethiseducationalopportunitywasoriginallyavailableonlyforpoorwhiteboysandnot
forthepoorBlacksonsofslaves,intermsofBarbados’ssocialformationsandtheir
connectiontotheisland’scolonialhistory,wemustrecognizethatthereare“otherstructural
relations[i.e.,racialfeatures]whicharenotattributabletoclassrelationsofaclassical
capitalisttype”(Hall1980:313).Itisthesestructuralconditionsthatconstitutesocial
conditionsinBarbadosduringthecolonialperiod.
Andnowtosomeminutiaeofthecontemporary/past.OnacleardayinNovember2012,we
beganoursecondroundvisittoOldCloistersCollege.Theprincipal,KenLethbridge,
receivedourBarbadosresearchteaminalarge,woodpaneledconferenceroomadjacentto
hisoffice.Afterafewpleasantries,Mr.Lethbridgebeckonedustojoinhimfor“morning
assembly.”Wefollowedhimacrosstheschool’squadrangle,onashortwalkunderoneof
thoseimpossiblyazureBarbadianskies,totheeasternendoftheschoolgrounds.Weentered
theschoolassemblyhall,aneoGeorgianbrickbuildingsetapartfromtherestoftheschool
forbothaustereandcelebratorygatheringsoftheentirestudentandfacultybodies.Here,we
wereintheschool’smosthallowedandconsecratedspace,teemingwithstudentsandtheir
nervousenergy,accompaniedbytheiroverseeingprefectsandtheschool’sfacultyandstaff.
Theassemblyhallislatentwithsymbolsofanornamentalandcultivatedpast.Itsemblemsand
itsplaques,listingthenamesoftheprestigiousBarbadosScholarshipholderswhoattendedthe
school,accompanyportraitsofitsprevious,white,Britishprincipalsgoingbackto1733.All
thisextraordinaryaggregationofsymbolismbeamsdownfromonhighontothecontemporary
schoolbodycomprisedlargelyofAfroBarbadianyoungsters.Picture,then,thislayered
sceneofimageslatentwithallusionstothecolonialpast,trophiesofthepresent,andthe
iconographyandhighwatermarksoftheBritishpublicschoolinthepostcolonialsettingof
OldCloistersCollege.Ourfocus,however,wasdrawntooneoverwhelmingobjecthangingin
themiddleofthewallbehindtheprincipalandhisgatheredpartyontheschooldais.Itwasthe
OldCloistersCollegeschoolcrest.Itseemedtopulltheentireroilingsetofimagestoa
symboliccenterandcalm.Init,twolionslay–oneontopoftheother–raisingtheirright
pawsinagestureofregalglory.
Suchornamentalism,asdescribedbyCannadine(2001),istypicalofthepostcolonialschool.
Someformofthisvignettecouldberepeatedacrossvirtuallyallourresearchsites.
Interestingly,lionsseemtoresidesomewhereinthesymbolicorderofallofthem.Themain
emblemsofeachofourresearchschoolsrecruitnatureandtransferthesymbolicmomentofthe
powerfulcharacteristicsassociatedwiththekingsofbeastsofthelandandtheair,thelionand
theeagle,ontotheirinstitutionalrealm.Thisarticulationofheraldryblendshistoryinto
mythology,wherethelinebetweenfactandfictiondisappearsintoanoverwhelmingassertion
ofdistinction,distinctivenesss,andtriumphalism.Theguidingsymbolsoftheseeliteschools
arecoiled,pulsingwithsemioticallyarrangedtensionandhistoricalreferenceand
significance.Likethereciprocalprojectsofcapitalism,colonialism,andChristianity,these
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

symbolsaremultidimensional,recruitingmeaningsandpractices,metaphorandritualinthe
consecrationoftheenduringdominanceoftheseschoolsintheirrespectivecontexts.
Religionisneverreallyfarawayfromschoolbasedtriumphalism.Eveninsupposedly
secularschoolsitprovidesrichaspectsoftheallusiveandimaginaryheritageanduniverseof
theseschoolsthatlendwarranttotheirsuccess.Religiouscalling–thesenseofvocationand
socialobligationandtheunfoldingoforganicmoralorder–deeplyinformtheseschools.The
halloweduseofspaceintheassemblyhallsatOldCloistersCollege,StraitsSchool,and
acrossvirtuallyalltheschoolsiteswestudied;thepresenceofthetempleandmosqueat
Ripon,thechapelsatFounders,Greystone,andHighburyHall–allevokeandcommunicatea
senseofalarger,disciplinedorder.Theseschoolsarespacesofelectiveaffinity,imbuing
studentswiththesenseofwonderandspecialnessoftheschoolworldsthattheyareinitiated
intoandthattheyinhabit.OneisremindedofthepaintingofJohnWesleypreachingfromhis
father’sgraveintheFoundersCollegelobby.Wesleyisdepictedspeakingtohisflockundera
treeinapastoralsetting(anopenairschool)muchliketheprototypicalteacherintheelite
school.Eachsubjectinthepainting,implicitly,isavehicleofaparticularrole:themother,the
milkmaid,andthefarmersarefrozenintimeandresponsibility.Thepaintingsummarizesthe
roleofeducationintheLatinsenseofeducare,“leadingout.”Thepedagogicalsubjectofa
FoundersorHighburyorStraitsorRiponCollegeis,bytheiconographyoftheWesley
painting,encouragedtoemulatethispathofleading,modelingperseveranceandovercoming,
standingupasabeaconintheworld.What,aboveall,thesesymbolsdynamicallyintroduceis
theactivenatureoftraditionandthepastinthecontemporaryhistorymakingoftheseschools.
Theelaborationandburnishingofthesesymbolsarepartofthelargerinvestmentinhistoryand
itsstrategicuse.
GlobalConnections
Theterm“globalconnections”referstointerandtransnationallinksandnetworksbetween
suchmobilepeoplesasmigrants,students,andworkers.Suchconnectionsalsoincludelinks
betweenpeople,places,andinstitutionsotherthanthoseinthecountrywheretheyreside.
AccordingtoGeorge,ÓRiain,andThayer(2000:139),weshouldnotunderestimatethe
“importanceofparticularinstitutions,movementsandorganizationsasbrokersandmediators
ofthisprocess.”Norcanwediscountthewaysinwhich“discoursescrossborders”(2000:
139)andtheglobalconnectionsthatsuchbordercrossingdiscoursesproducewhereby
institutionsinvastlydifferentlocationslatchontoacommondiscourseandorganizetheir
activitiesaroundit.Theselinkscanhelptoproducetransnationalidentities,sensibilities,
communities,andsolidaritieswithregardtosuchthingsasemployment,politics,orreligion–
and,indeed,education.Butthisisbynomeansstraightforward,aswasillustrated,inoneway
oranother,inallourresearchschools.
Increasingly,theseeliteschoolsseektoproducestudentswhoarewiseaboutthewiderworld
–whounderstandcountriesandculturesotherthantheirownandwhocanoperateinan
informedandconfidentmannerwherevertheyareandwhoevertheyarewith.International
traveliscentraltothis.Thestudentsinourresearchschoolswereprovidedwithmanytravel
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

opportunitiesbyorthroughtheirschools.Theseincludedinternationaleducationaltoursto
studylanguage,music,history,orart;variousinternational“immersion”andserviceprograms;
studentexchangestopartnerschools;andinternationalcompetitionsandconferences(suchas
ScienceandMathOlympiadsandGlobalYoungLeadersconferences).
Plainly,differenttypesoftravelanddifferenttypesoftravelerswereinvolved.Moststudents
alsotraveledextensivelyintheirschoolholidays,eitherwithfamilyorfriends,andsomealso
plannedtotravelintheir“gapyear”betweenschoolanduniversity.Whenthestaffandparents
talkedtousaboutthebenefitstostudentsofsuchtravel,itwasseen,variously,tobroadenthe
mind,tocontributetocreativity,toenhancestudents’employmentopportunitiesandnetworks,
andtobuildcharacterthrough,forinstance,conqueringadversity.Butmostcommonly,and
insistently,itwasseentodevelopinternationalandinterculturalunderstandingacross
difference–althoughitwasneverquiteclearwhatthedifferencebetween“international”and
“intercultural”was.Indeed,bothtermshadachievedacommonsensestatus,apparently
needinglittlefurtherexplanationorexploration.
Themostplentifulopportunitiesandresourceswereavailablethroughtheillustrious
transnational,educationalorganizationcalledRoundSquare.5BothRiponandGreystoneare
membersofRoundSquare.Thestudentsatmemberschoolshaveaccesstoothermember
schoolsinallpartsoftheworldandRoundSquarehasone150“likeminded,”
“independentlygoverned,”and,mostly,eliteschoolmembers.Thesearegroupedaccordingto
thefollowingregions:Africa,Europe,theAmericas,Australasia,EastAsia,SouthAsia,and
theGulf(RoundSquare2015).Itinitiatesacomprehensivesetofprograms,activities,events,
andawards(RoundSquare2015).Further,thisorganizationhasgrandglobaldesigns.These
arelaidoutundertheIDEALSofInternationalism:promotinginternationalunderstanding
“throughexposuretodifferentcultures”;Democracy:“activeparticipation”;Environment:
“workprojectsandcurriculaallemphasizeeachyoungperson’sdestinytobeaguardianof
humansocietyandtheglobalenvironment”;Adventure:“buildingthebodyandsoulthrough
adventure,meetingphysicalchallengeanddevelopinganappreciationoftheoutdoors”;
Leadership:“trueleadershipisfoundinthosewhoseconvictionsarerootedinpersonal
responsibility,kindnessandjustice”;andService:“topreparestudentsforlifebythe
expectationofservingothers”(RoundSquare2015).
Asthisindicates,studentsareseenasdestinedtobe“leadersandguardians”and
“internationalization”isafeatureofthis.ForRoundSquare,leadershipisacollectiveclass
enterpriseandtravelisanimportantpartofthepackage.Individualstudentsmayundertakean
exchangeinaRoundSquareschoolinanothercountryforasemesterorevenlonger.Groupsof
studentsmaytravelinternationallywithacoupleofteachersandspendafewweeksatanother
memberschool.Itislikelythat,whiletheyareattheseschools,otherinternationalstudents
willbethereeitherasindividualsoringroups.RoundSquarestudentsmayalsogotogetheron
internationalserviceoradventuretours.Further,thestudentsandteachingstaffmayattend
internationalorregionalconferenceswheremembersworkonaddressing“worldissues.”
Whatdoespromoting“internationalunderstanding”through“exposuretodifferentcultures”
looklikecloseup?Andhowlikelyisittoenrichtheglobalconnectionsbetweenstudents?
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

IntroducedtoRiponCollegebyitsprincipal,Mr.Acharya,RoundSquarehasbeenpromoted
asRipon’sgatewaytointernationalization:
Iamcertainlyveryhappybecausemykidshavebecomemoreglobalinoutlook,their
generalknowledgeisbetter,therearelessprejudices…Theyareaspiringtogooverseas
forfurthereducation.WhenIcame,thereweremaybeoneortwokidsintheyearthat
wouldapplyandnowthenumbershavegoneclosertofortywhoaregoing–manymoreare
applying.Sothatgivesmehopethattheinternationalizedprogrammeisencouragingpeople
tolookbeyond[thelocalarea].
(HukamAcharya,interview2013)
Otherstaffsharedthesamevocabularyandpromotedinternationalexchangesasempowering
experiences.AspartofRoundSquare,andtheotherglobalnetworkstheschoolhasforgedin
recentyears,ithostsmanygroupsofvisitingstudents.
Duringourfirstresearchvisit,RiponwashostingagroupofstudentsfromCanada.Theywere
givenanhourlonglectureonIndianhistory,anotheronitslanguages,anotheronHinduism.
Theyweretakentovisitatemple,toavillage,toamarketandsoon,goingfromoneplaceto
anotheronanairconditionedbuswithaguidewhoisaretiredteacherwithlimited
experienceoftravelandarestrictedunderstandingofthepedagogicpossibilitiesofglobal
mobility,interculturalcommunication,andinternationaleducation.Notsurprisingly,therefore,
formostofthetime,thevisitingstudentsappearedboredbyhisabstracttalk,mostlyabout
whatawonderfulcountryIndiais.Indiawasrepresentedashavingagrandhistory,andan
evena“better”culture.OnthelastdayoftheirvisittoRiponCollege,abigeventwasheldin
thevisitingstudents’honor.TheschoolhadtaughttheCanadianstudentsafewmovesfrom
Indiandancetraditions,aswellassomenewermovesfromBollywood.Attheeventitself,
theywereencouragedtowearIndianclothesandtoperformonthestage.Theschoolholds
theseclothesfortheexclusiveuseofvisitingstudentgroupswho,ineffect,playdressup.For
instance,thevisitinggirlsenjoyedlearningwaystodrapethesaributfoundoutlittleelse
aboutthesari’shistoricalandregionalsymbolismandsignificanceforHinduwomeninIndia,
letaloneelsewhere.Thelocalstudentsalsoperformed.Theperformancethatcaughtour
particularattentioninvolvedstudentsfromtheprimaryschooldressedupasbridesand
bridegroomsfromvariousregionsofIndia.Theywalkedascouplesontothestagetoshowoff
theirelaborateclothesandmakeup.Weweretoldthattheperformance,named“Bridesof
India,”wasdesignedtoshowIndia’sregionaldiversity.Thewholeeventendedwithshort
speechesbytheprincipalreaffirmingthevalueofglobalmobilityandstudentexchange.The
CanadiancontingentthenthankedRiponforitshospitality,ahospitalitythatwasratherstrained
atnightwhentheCanadianboys’loudrevelingintheguestquarterskeptmany,includingus,
awake.
Duringourfinalresearchvisit,RiponhostedstudentsfromAustralia,Russia,Canada,and
France.Similarprocesseswereinvolved.Thistime,atanotherlargeconcludingevent,the
visitingstudentgroupfromRussiaofferedapowerpointpresentationabouttheirhomecountry
–itspopulationdistribution,majorcities,majorindustries,andsoon.Andtheschoolbrought
inaprofessionaldancetroupeofyoungwomentoperformIndiandances.Followingthis,each
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

studentperformedatraditionaldancefromtheirowncountry,dressedinthespecialcostumes
theyhadbroughtwiththemforthispurpose.
TheprogramatRiponCollegeappearedtofollowatemplateandcanmoreaccuratelybe
describedas”educationaltourism,”ratherthanaprogrambasedonsoundeducational
principlesofinterculturalexchange.Indeed,itappeareddesignedtorepresentaparticular
versionofIndiaandIndianculture,onethatcanbefoundintouristbrochures.Therewasno
discussionofthechallengesfacingIndiansocietyanditspeople.Yettheeverydayextremesof
itswealthandpovertyandtheoppressiverigiditiesofitscastesystemanditsgenderrelations
wereconstantlyinview.Theenforcedlocalizationofthemanypoorwasevidenteverywhere
outsidetheschoolenclave.Forinstance,duringourfinalresearchvisit,men’sviolenceagainst
womenwasintheheadlinesinIndiaandovermuchoftheworld.Thislongstandingand
widerangingproblemhadsurfacedsovisiblyduetothehorrorsofwhatcametobeknownas
the“Delhirapecase.”Thestreetswerefullofprotesters.Debatesragedaboutcausesand
consequences.Yetthisissue,likethemanycontentiousothers,wasairbrushedawayfrom
visiting,aswellasfromlocal,students.Thus,theywereofferednoinsightsintosuchissuesor
intohowsectionsofIndiansocietyweretryingtoaddressthem.Indeed,likethoseatthetopof
Bauman’shierarchiesofglobalmobility,theywereinsulatedfromandfloatedaboveandaway
frommanysuchconsiderationsof,andchallengesto,groundedinjustices.
Indiaandits“culture”wereessentialized,reified,andexoticized.Furthermore,visiting
studentswerealsoencouragedtomanufacture,fortheoccasion,formsofnationalismthatalso
essentialized,reified,andexoticizedtheirhomecountries.Ineffect,nationalstereotypes,ofall
thecountriesinvolved,weremobilized.DespiteRoundSquare’sIDEALS,therewaslittle
seriousdiscussionatRiponabouthowitsstudentmobilityprogramsmighthaveamore
educationaldimension.Itseemedthatthemobilityprogramwasregardedasintrinsically
worthwhile,nomatterwhatitscontent.Thevisitingstudentswereinvitedtoadopttheroleof
touristandtoviewtheirtravelasstraightforwardandunproblematic.Thelocals,bethey
studentsorteachers,wereimplicitlyencouragedtotakeuptheroleoftouristguidesandMr.
Acharyamadeapointoftellingushowmuchtheboysenjoyedhostingtheattractivegirl
visitors.
Studentswerethusnotprovidedwithopportunitiestoquestiontravelasapracticethatis
loadedwithmeaningortoconsider,comparatively,dissimilartypesoftravelandtravelers–
toseethedifferencesbetween,say,thestudenttouristandtherefugee,theexile,andtheforced
migrant(seeBauman1998).Inshort,theywerenotprovidedwithanyhelptocritically
unpack,historically,culturally,orsociologically,theirownglobaltravelsaroundtheelite
circuitoftheglobaleliteschoolsector,orthetravelsofthoseonthesubalterncircuit,letalone
therelationshipsbetweenthetwo.
Mostofthestudentexchangeswewitnessedinvolvedfleetingandsuperficialexperiencesof
differentcultures,people,andeducationsystems.Little,ifany,deepculturalexchangeor
connectionwasevident.Indeed,studentsonthemovewereoftenhighlycriticaloftheirhost
countryandschool;theymobilizednostalgicandromanticizedviewsofhometosustain
themselvesandclungtogetherselfprotectivelyinthefaceofthehostschools’general
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

indifferencetothem.Evenso,educationaltouristsmightalso,inpart,bethoughtofintermsof
Bauman’s“tourists”–thosewhosespatialemancipationallowsthemtoaccumulate
experiencesthatfurtherenhancetheireducationalandclassprivileges.Evenifsuperficialand
sometimeslonely,suchstudentmobilitycontributestotheaccumulationofculturalandsocial
capitalforprivilegedstudents.Itbecomesa“valueadded”fortheirCVsandtotheiraccrued
humancapital.Indeed,wewouldsuggestthatoneofthedefiningcharacteristicsofstudent
touristsistheirrelationshiptothecommodificationofmobilityandexperience.Andthe
exampleofthe“BridesofIndia”atteststotheunselfconsciousmobilizationofpurecliché.
Ofcourse,globalconnectionsexistbeyondthelevelofthestudents.Infact,theymustfirstexist
ataninstitutionalandpersonallevelthroughthevariousglobalandregionalorganizationsthat
eliteschoolsbelongto–and,ofcourse,throughtheinformalnetworksthateliteschoolsare
renownedfor.Asnoted,RiponandGreystonebelongedtoRoundSquareandGreystonewas
alsoamemberofCrossofNails–anorganization,asindicatedbyitsname,forchurch
schools.Furthertothese,thereweremanyotherglobalinitiativesthattheprincipalsofour
researchschoolssoughttojoin,lead,andevenfound.TheseincludetheG20groupofschools,
anexclusiveclubofabout50schoolsthatrequiresaninvitationtojoin.Theveryname,
obviouslyadoptedtomakediscursivelinkswiththeG20groupofmajoreconomies,bespeaks
theconfidence–indeedarrogance–characterizingeliteschools.Equallyexclusivearethe
MicrosoftInnovativeSchools,thoughheretheapplicationtojoinismadetoMicrosoftand
admissionisatthediscretionofthecorporation.
WhileRoundSquareandCrossofNailscouldbeseenasbeinggroundedinsomeformof
liberalhumanitarianphilosophy,theG20andMicrosoftInnovativeSchoolsareclearly
groundedinneoliberaleducational,managerial,andeconomicvalues.Presentingtheir
membersasthebestofthebestinglobalcompetitiveterms,bothorganizationsseektoposition
theirschoolsasbeingattheleadingedge–competitiveandsuccessfulinbotheducationaland
marketterms.Inthinkingaboutglobalflowsofeducationalcommonsense,suchorganizations
playaleadingpart.AquickvisittotheMicrosoftInnovativeSchoolssite,forexample,boasts:
“TheMicrosoftInnovativeSchoolsProgramhelpsdistrictandschoolleadersembrace
innovationandimplementtechnologyeffectivelytosupportteachingandlearning.Throughthis
programschoolleaderscanexplorethepossibilities,collaboratewithotherleadersandcreate
avisionforthefutureofyourschoolcommunity”(http://www.smngalmoy.com/ms
innovationschool.html ).Offeringsignificantresources,Microsoftusesthesitetoadvertise
itswaresandtoencourage“schoolleaders”toadoptthestrategiesandideasprofferedthemby
thiscommercialgiant.Thenextstepupfrombeingan“innovativeschool”istobecomea
“mentorschool,”somethingachievedbyGreystoneduringourresearchintheschool.Success,
inthisrespect,dependsonbeingabletoshowthattheschoolis“wellmanaged”and
“successful”withinthedefinitionssetbyMicrosoftandoffersbenefitssuchastravel,
participationininternationalleaders’events,recognitionasa“worldleader,”advicefrom
global“experts,”andsoon.Suchrewardsareenticingandinviteschoolprincipalstoenfold
themselvesinthediscourseandsubjectivityofexpertise,technology,andcontinuous
improvement.And,ofcourse,theyalsooffersubstantialmaterialandpublicrelationsbenefits.
Whicheverofthese(orother)organizationtheschoolsbelongedto–andtheyallbelongedto
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

morethanone–thebenefitsofthenetworksandglobalconnectionstheycouldanddidmake
throughtheirmeetingsatvariousschoolsinvariouspartsoftheworldwereakeynotonlyto
theirinfluencebeyondtheirimmediatesphereoftheschool,buttotheglobalstandingoftheir
schoolandtothesharingofideasabouteducationthattookplaceatandbetweenmeetings.
Thissharingofideasandeducationaldiscoursescontributedsignificantlytotheglobal
imaginationsdevelopedinandthroughtheseschoolsandtheirorganizations.
GlobalImaginations
Thenotionoftheimaginationiscomplex.Forourpurposes,theterm“globalimagination”
referstothedifferentwaysthatglobalizationisunderstoodandportrayedandbroughtinto
effect.Inotherwords,globalizationis,inpart,broughtintoeffectbythewaysinwhichitis
imagined.Clearly,dominantpartsoftheglobeaswellasdominantgroupsandinstitutionshave
thepowertoconstructdominantimaginings.Theytry,inasense,tocolonizetheglobal
imagination.Mainstreammediaareanobviousexample.But,also,differentcountriesand
groupsofpeopleimagineglobalizationinvariousandoftencompetingways.Those“onhigh”
imagineitverydifferentlyfromthose“below”(KenwayandFahey2009).
FollowingAppadurai(1996),weextendthisnotionofglobalimaginationstothewaysin
whichinstitutionsproffer“possiblelives”andhelptoproducebothglobalsubjectsandglobal
“communitiesofsentiment”whichincludesocialclass.Forinstance,variousmediahelp
students,parents,andeducationpolicymakersinsystemsandinstitutionstoimaginetheir
“possiblelives”inrelationtodifferentversionsoftheglobal,theregional,andthenational.
But,ofcourse,themediaconstituteonlyoneofmanysources,andglobalimaginationshavethe
potentialtoproliferate(Burawoy2000:4).
Aneliteschool’sglobalimaginationinvolvesachoreographyofthemanyforcesthatoperate
onitandtheconnectionsithas–itshistory,itsrelationshipstothestateanditseducation
system,theclientclass,theeconomy,andsoon.Itfusesthesetogether,tactically,inorderto
createanimaginaryglobalarenainwhichtheeducationitoffersisrecognizedassetting–or
beingupto–theglobalgoldstandard.Further,aswewillnowshow,leadershipisacentral
featureoftheeliteschoolbothintermsofdevelopingstudentsasfutureleadersandinthe
workofthevariousprincipals.
Ithaslongbeenexpectedthatstudents,mainlyboys,fromeliteschoolswouldgrowuptoclaim
andexerciseconsiderablepowerinpolitical,economic,andmilitarycircles.Asweshowin
ClassChoreographies(Kenwayetal.2017),theirpathtopowerbeganearlyinstudents’
dominantclassrootsinthelocalandnationalsocialorder.Sonsofaristocratswere,obviously,
“borntorule,”whiletheroadtopowerforthesonsoftheverywealthyindustrialistswas
pavedwiththecapitalmadefromthereshapedeconomyofcapitalism.Themoreextended
routesoftheseprivilegedboys,whowentontobecomepowerfulmen,includedsuchthingsas
theirmovementfromthecenterofempiretoruleoverthecoloniesor,inthecaseofthesonsof
colonialelites,fromthecoloniestobeeducatedatschooloruniversityatthecenterofempire
beforereturningtoruleovernewnationstates.Rulingwasexpected.
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Today,alongwithmeritocracy,leadershipisacentraltrope.Meritocracyissaidtohave
replacedaristocracy,andthenotionthatmoneycanleadtopower,withoutmerit,isvigorously
eschewed.Studentsateliteschools,thesedays,areregularly–directlyandindirectly–taught
thattheyarelearningtolead(certainlynottolabor).Andleadershipcodesandexperiences
arecentraltotheelitecircuitonwhichthesestudentstravel.Techniquestoproduceleadersare
carefullydesignedandopportunitiestoconsiderwhatitinvolves,andhowtopracticeit,are
regularlyofferedandtakenup.Mobilityacrosscountriesandculturesisconsideredcentral.
Leadersarealsoexpectedtobegloballyaware.Wewilllookatthatshortly,butfirstwe
examinesomeotherwaysleadershipisimplicitlyandexplicitlytaught.
Theschools’governingbodiesinvariablyinvolvemenand,increasingly,womenfromthetop
endoftown–particularlythosewithseniorbusiness,management,andgovernment
experience.Wellknown,distinguished,andpowerfulalumnifromovertheyearsare
constantlyondisplayinthevisualandvirtualecologyoftheschools.Studentsareofferedas
theschool’sveryowninspirational“rolemodels”–asexaltedornamentsofitspowerand
influence.Suchalumniareoftenusedasadvisorsandmentors.InCathedralCollege,for
instance,aspartoftheirCareerCounsellingProgramme,studentsareassignedtoprofessional
mentorsfromapoolofalumniwhovoluntarilyofferstudentscareeradviceandinternships.
HighburyHallinvitesitsOxbridgeprogenyandhighpoweredacademicparentsofpresent
andpaststudentstoprovidethegirlswithinsiderknowledgeaboutwhichsubjectstostudyat
schoolandhowbesttoprepareforuniversityadmissionprocesses,includingastringof
repeatedmockinterviewsforOxbridgeentry.Aplethoraofcocurricularopportunities(clubs
andsocieties)isonoffer.AtStraits,forexample,studentsarespoiledforchoicewhenit
comestotheircocurricularactivities.Theyhavetheuniformgroups(BoyScouts,Boys
Brigade,RedCross,NationalPoliceCadetCorps,andsoon),artsandaestheticsgroups(such
aschoir,guitarensemble,Chinesedrama,moderndance,militaryband,Indiandance,string
ensemble),andnumeroussportsclubs(includingrugby,archery,badminton,bowling,canoe,
cricket,fencing,golf,andfloorballclub,amongstmanyothers)tochoosefrom.Throughthese
activities,intheareasoftheir“passion,”studentscanpracticeanddemonstratetheir
leadershipskills.Cocurricularpursuitsusuallyincludebusinessorientedclubs–share
tradinggroupsarepopular.Further,theschoolsencouragestudentstoparticipateinarangeof
globalyouthleadershipprograms(morefullydiscussedinKenwayetal.2017).
Therearealsomoredirectattemptstoproducebusinessleadersandentrepreneurs.Mostof
ourresearchschoolshavebusinessrelatedcoursesandactivities,ortheyassistand
encouragetheirstudentstoaccesssuchcoursesinnearbyManagementStudiesinstitutions.In
StraitsSchoolinSingapore,aprogramcalled“BusinessatSchool”isofferedtointerested
studentstoallowthemtogainexposuretosuccessfulSingaporecompanies,tolearnabouttheir
codesandpracticesandtoseehowtheyoperateglobally.Someinfluentialalumniwere
worriedthatthestudentswerenotbeingencouragedtobesufficientlyentrepreneurialin
contrastwiththeirrivalschools,particularlythoseknowntoproducebusinessleaders.Feeling
theschoolstressedtheproductionofpoliticalratherthanbusinessleaders,theytookthe
initiativeinpersuadingtheschooltosetupthisprogram.
Takeanotherexample.BoardersfromHighburyHallmusttakeoneorotherofthemany
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

“enrichmentactivities”offeredovertheweekend,anddaygirlsarestronglyencouragedto
participateaswell.Onesuchactivityisthatofthe“YoungEnterprise”groups.Thegirls
involvedintwosuchgroups,whoseactivitieswewitnessedduringthetimeofourresearch,
hadeachdevelopeda“startup”companyandthecompetitionbetweenthemwastobethe
onethatmadethemostprofitoverasetperiod–ataskthattheysetaboutwithenthusiasmand
whichbeganbygettingwealthyparents,friends,andotherrelativestobuy“shares”forthemto
establisha“startup”fund.Thesegirlsclearlyrelishedthefantasyofthemselvesas
transnationalwheelersanddealers;as“entrepreneurialwomen”(Chen2008).Itiseasyto
imaginethemasbusinessownersandmanagers,operating,forexample,outofHongKongand
conductingtheirbusinessesinmainlandChinawheremanyHongKongbusinessesarenow
flourishing.EricMa(2011)documentsthenetworksofglobalcapitalismbetweenHongKong
andChinaandtheattendantculturalpolitics.ThisworksuggeststhatChinaremainsasourceof
attractionforbusinessinvestmentstomanyHongKongers,despitetheirresentmenttowardthe
influxofmainlandersinHongKongeitherasconsumersand/orinvestors.Consistentwiththis,
manyHongKonguniversitygraduateshavetheircareereyesontheChinamarketwherethey
arelikelytojointhecadresofhighlypaidconsultantswhoworkforlargetransnational
consultancyfirms.
Indeed,coursesandactivitiessuchasthosewehavedescribedarenowofferedinmany
differenttypesofschoolsaroundtheworld.Thebusinessbeliefsandtechniquespromotedin
suchcoursesoftenoriginatefromMBAs(MastersofBusinessAdministration)and
“managementgurus”(Ong2006:220)fromtheUnitedStates.Theglobalcorporatenorms
promote“criticalthinking,”“problemsolving,”“entrepreneurship,”“innovation,”and
“flexibility.”Atthesametime,andinapparentcontradiction,theyencouragestudentsto
believethattheyliveinareadilyandrationallycalculableworldoverwhichtheycangain
masteryastheypursuetheirbusinessinterestsandgenerateprofitsand“efficiencies.”They
are,ineffect,taughtthatlifeisprimarilyorganizedaroundcompetitionandmaintaining
advantageoverothers.Andothersareinvariablytobeunderstoodascompetitors,potential
clients/customers,orpotentialemployees.Competitiveadvantageisthedrivingforceand
maximizingprofitisthegoal.The“Enterprise”girlsatHighburyHallaretheprototypeindraft
form.
Whatdifferentiatesbusinessandmanagementcoursesandactivitiesinourresearchschools
fromthoseinmanyotherschoolsaroundtheworldaretheresourcesthatthestudentshaveat
theirdisposalandwhichtheycanmobilize.Thesereadyresourcesincludewealthyparents
whocanbankrollprojects,networksofpowerfulalumninationallyandinternationally,andthe
schools’longstandinglinkstothetoptiersofgovernment,business,industry,andthe
corporateworld.Allcanhelpprovidestudentswith“placements”sothattheycanexperience
approximationsoftheworkplacesthattheyplantooccupyasadults.Further,withthehelpof
allsuchresources,studentsacquireknowledgeabout,andareencouragedtoaspiretoattend,
thebestbusinessandmanagementschoolsavailableanywherearoundtheglobe.Thestudents
wemetusuallysettheirsightsonHarvardandYaleBusinessSchoolsandWhartonintheUSA.
Suchinstitutionsprovidecredentials,obviously,buttheyalsogivestudentsaccesstobusiness
networks.Andbecausetheseuniversitiesnowincludestudentsfrommanycountries,the
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

networksareglobal.Moreover,theyopenupbusinessopportunities.Itisnotunusualfor
studentsatsuchplacestoestablishbusinesseswhilestillstudying.Indeed,someofthe
graduatesfromStraitshavedonejustthat,bringingtogethertheirglobalnetworkstodoso.
Theprincipalsoftheseschoolsseemed,inonewayoranother,tobecaughtupintheglobal
imaginariesofenterprise,markets,andcompetition.Ledbythebottomline,anyofthemcould
haveechoedValerieTurner’squestion:
Who’sgoingtobeabletoaffordaHighburyHalloranyotherindependentboardingschool
forthatmatter,whocanaffordit?It’sadiminishingnumberofpeopleinthiscountry.Well
perhapsit’sastablenumberbutit’snotnecessarilygoingtogrow.Andit’sanincreasing
numberinotherpartsoftheworld.Butthosepartsoftheworldcanchangesowe’reseeing
morepeoplefromEasternEurope.Youwouldn’thaveseenanyonefromEasternEurope
fifteenyearsago.SeeingmorepeoplefromIndia.Youknowtherearemoremillionairesin
ChinanowthanthereareinRussia.Youknow,theglobaleconomicsisaffectingwhocan
affordaneducationlikethis.Andpeopleare–peopledo–continenthopforeducation.
So,[theythink]I’llhavethatfromthe[UnitedKingdom]andthenI’llhavethatfromthe
[UnitedStates]forhighereducation.
(ValerieTurner,interview2010)
Furthermore,theglobalfinancialcrisisof2008(andfollowing)impingedsignificantlyon
parents’and,therefore,principals’anxietiesabouttheirchildren’simaginedfutures.AsSophie
deKlerk,atGreystone,explained,“Yes!Ihavefeltespeciallywiththeeconomic,theglobal
economicdownturn,thatthere’sbeenarealshiftinourparentbodyandthelevelsofanxiety
aroundhaveimpactedhugelyontheschool”(SophiedeKlerk,interview2012).
Itwas,perhaps,inthechangingcurriculaofthedifferentschoolsthatonecouldmostclearly
seethewayinwhichglobalimagination,nuancedbyplaceandtimeandimpactedbythe
changesintheglobaleconomy,wasshaped.TheincreasingpopularityoftheInternational
Baccalaureate(IB)withitsclaimstoavaluesystemleadingtothedevelopmentoflearners
whoare“internationallyaware”and“sociallyresponsiblecitizensoftheworldwithan
awarenessofglobalperspectives”(Founderswebsite)isonesuchdiscoursethatholdssway
inmanyofourschools–howevermuchorlittlethevariousexchangesdescribedaboveand
lessonsonglobalsocialresponsibilityactuallydohelpstudentsdevelopacriticalcognizance
ofglobalissues.Andclaimstoleadershipinthisregardweremanifold.Forexample,Kerry
Mallory,asenioradministratoratFounders,claimedsomewhatgrandioselythat“Ifthereisa
schoolthatcanchangetheeducationallandscape,Founder’sisprobablyoneofthebetter,if
notthebest,placesthatthatcanhappenfrom”(interview2012).
SimultaneouslywiththespreadoftheIB,wealsofoundfamiliarneoliberaleducational
discoursesof“improvement,”“standards,”“achievement,”andpreparingforaneconomically
rationalfutureinourresearchschools.AtStraits,forexample,theenormousstressofensuring
fluencyinEnglishispartofthedriveforglobalcapitalistsuccess.Indeed,manyattheschool
believethatSingapore’sglobalsuccess–itsinternationalconnectionsandprestige–is
derivedpartlyfromthefactthattheuseofEnglishhasenabledSingaporetoembeditself
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

withintheglobalnetworksofinformationandcommunication.Furthermore,throughits
insistenceonhighlevelsofproficiencyinEnglish,StraitsSchoolsisconvincedthatitisable
tohelpitsstudentsenterthegloballyeliteuniversitiesoftheUKandUSAwithconfidence.
Moreover,atStraitsandotherofourresearchschools,wefoundanintensefocusontheneed
forstudentstobesuccessfulintheSTEMsubjects(science,technology,engineering,and
mathematics).Forinstance,thiswasparticularlyapparentatGreystone,whereasubject
choiceeveningthatweattendedwascompletelydominatedbythestressontheneedforgirls
totakethesesubjectsinpreparationfortheirimaginedfuturesandasleaders,inhighpaid
jobs,regionallyandglobally.
Takentogetherwiththeeconomicrationalismofthelatterapproach,initseconomically
instrumentalistconstruction,globalcitizenshipeducationisassumedtobeameanstoanend,
ratherthansomethingthatisconstitutiveofasetofmoralandculturalpractices.Suchan
approachimaginesthecentralchallengeofglobalcitizenshipeducationtobethedevelopment
ofactiveandeffectiveparticipantsintheglobaleconomyratherthanmoralactorsconcerned
aboutissuesofglobaljustice.Whensuchnotionsas“interculturalcompetence”and“twenty
firstcenturyskills”arearticulatedininstrumentalistterms,theyhighlighttheneedtoincrease
one’s“competitiveness”intheglobalmarketplace.Thisview,however,isnottotallydevoid
ofmoralcontentbutinvolvesamisplacedassumptionthatglobalcapitalismandfreemarket
ideologyultimatelyhavethepotentialtopromotedemocraticparticipationandindividual
freedomacrosstheworld.
ConcludingComments
Fromthisoutlineofourprojectandfromtheglimpsesprovidedofsomeofthethingsthat
emerged,itiseasytoseewhymoreconventionalethnographersmightregardourapproachas
profane.Weacknowledgethatfromtheirperspectiveitmightbeseentoplayfastandloose
withethnography’smostreveredtropes(e.g.,HammersleyandAtkinson2007).Certainly,our
notionoftheresearchsitemightbeseentohavetoofewlimits,andhavingsevenschoolsites
mightberegardedastoomanytobestudiedindepth.Indeed,treatingthesesitescollectively
asoneethnographicprojectmightbethoughtofasdownrightfoolhardy.Thetimewespentin
eachschoolsitemightbeseenastooshortandunlikelytoleadtotrustfulanddeepencounters.
Andourmovetomultimethodsandawayfromparticipantobservationalonemightbe
regardedasirreverent.Weacknowledgethattosomeextentsuchcritiqueswouldbe
warranted.Thisisnottheplaceforacost–benefitanalysis.However,itwasnotourpurposeto
conformtoethnography’ssacrednormsandforms.Wesoughtparticularlytobegintoaddress
theproblemswithconventionalethnographicstudiesofeliteschoolsthatweoutlinedatthe
outset.
Asaresult,wemobilizeddifferentlogicsandoffersomealternativepossiblenormsand
forms.Thesecanbeusefullysummarizedviathenotionofmultisighted.Inconductingour
researchactivitieswegalvanizedtheterm“scopingoptics”–figuratively,notliterally,in
contrastwithPink(2009)inheraccountof“sensualethnography”andRead(2005)inher
accountof“scopicregimes”andvisualethnography.Wedeployedanethnographictelescope.
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Thisdirectedourlineofsighttomoredistantexaminationoftheseschools’globalhistories
andactivitiesovertimeandspace.Thisrequiredustoattendtothespecificitiesofeach
locationand,inturn,helpedustomovebeyondanypropensitieswemayhavehadfor
methodologicalWesternism.Anethnographicmicroscopedirectedourattentiontothefine
grainofrelevantaspectsofeachschool–itssurrounds,activities,andmembers–andtheir
linkstotheglobal.Theethnographicglimpseswehaveincludedaboveon“globalforces”
illustrateboth.Deployingthetelescopeandthemicroscopetogetherensuredthatweavoided
theproblemofpresentismwhilealsoallowingustoconsiderthedifferentscalesofclass
makingundertakenbyeliteschools.
Wealsodeployedanethnographicperiscope.Aperiscopeisalong,tubular,opticalinstrument
thatuseslenses,prisms,andmirrorstoallowaviewertoseeobjectsnotinthedirectlineof
sight.Forus,muchwasnotin“thedirectlineofsight”–thus,ourethnographicworkfits
Marcus’s“nonobviousparadigm”(1998).Theperiscopemetaphorremindedustolookfor
whatcouldnotbeseeninjustoneschoolorcountry.Itpointedtothenecessityofseeingthings
fromwherewewerenot,intermsofourmultiplesitesandintermsofcirculation.AsMarcus
says,multisitedethnographyisdesignedto“examinethecirculationofculturalmeanings,
objectsandidentitiesindiffusetimespace”(1998:79–80).Andofcourse,suchmeaningsare
verymuchabouttheschools’globalimagination.Wewereconcernedwiththecomplexways
inwhichdifferentsites,sectors,andpeoplesareconnected–discursively,economically,and
politically–throughtheseprocessesofcirculation.Theperiscopemetaphorallowsforjust
sucha360degreeperspective,frommultiplepointsofentry.Plainly,itallowedustomove
beyondthestraitjacketofmethodologicalnationalism.Additionally,thelens,prism,andmirror
mechanismsoftheperiscopepointtothesignificanceofbeingalerttodifferentconjunctions,
juxtapositions,anddisjunctions.Theethnographicglimpsesweofferedaboveonglobal
connectionsandglobalimaginationsillustratethese.Overall,evendespiteallthis,wemight
stillbeseentoprovidethinnotthick,shallownotdeep,description.Webelievethatwhatever
ourstudymaylackintermsofdescription,weaddintermsofanalysis.Wehopethatwhatwe
offeris“thick”becauseofourmultipleanglesoftheoreticalandempiricalscrutiny.
References
Abbink,J.andSalverda,T.(eds.)2014.TheAnthropologyofElites:Power,Culture,andthe
ComplexitiesofDistinction.NewYork:PalgraveMacmillan.
Amelina,A.,NergizDevrimsel,D.,Faist,T.,Schiller,N.G.(eds.)2012.Beyond
MethodologicalNationalism:ResearchMethodologiesforCrossBorderStudies .New
York:Routledge.
Appadurai,A.1996.ModernityatLarge:CulturalDimensionsofGlobalization.
Minneapolis:UniversityofMinnesotaPress.
Appadurai,A.2013.TheFutureasCulturalFact:EssaysoftheGlobalConditionLondon
andNewYork:Verso.
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Bauman,Z.1998.Globalization:TheHumanConsequence.NewYork:ColumbiaUniversity
Press.
Beckles,H.M.2007.AHistoryofBarbados:FromAmerindianSettlementtoCaribbean
SingleMarket.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.
Burawoy,M.2000.“Introduction:ReachingfortheGlobal.”InM.Burawoy,J.A.Blum,S.
George,Z.Gille,andM.Thayer(eds.),GlobalEthnography:Forces,Connections,and
ImaginationsinaPostmodernWorld.Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress.
Burawoy,M.,Blum,J.A.,George,S.,Gille,Z.,andThayer,M.2000.GlobalEthnography:
Forces,ConnectionsandImaginationsinaPostmodernWorld.Oakland:Universityof
CaliforniaPress.
Cannadine,D.2001.Ornamentalism:HowtheBritishSawTheirEmpire.Oxford:Oxford
UniversityPress.
Charles,C.2014.EliteGirls’Schooling,SocialClassandSexualisedPopularCulture.
London:Routledge.
Chen,M.2008.“EntrepreneurialWomen:PersonalWealth,LocalPoliticsandTradition.”In
D.Goodman(ed.),TheNewRichinChina.LondonandNewYork:Routledge.
Chernilo,D.2006.“MethodologicalNationalismandItsCritique.”InG.DelantyandK.
Kumar(eds.),TheSAGEHandbookofNationsandNationalism.ThousandOaks,CA:Sage.
Clifford,J.1997a.Routes:TravelandTranslationintheLateTwentiethCentury.
Cambridge,MA:HarvardUniversityPress.
Clifford,J.1997b.“SpatialPractices:Fieldwork,Travel,andtheDiscipliningof
Anthropology.”InJ.Clifford,Routes:TravelandTranslationintheLateTwentiethCentury,
pp.52–91.Cambridge,MA:HarvardUniversityPress.
Coleman,S.andvonHellermann,P.2011.MultiSitedEthnography:Problemsand
PossibilitiesintheTranslocationofResearchMethods.NewYork:Routledge.
Connell,R.W.,Ashenden,D.,Kessler,S.,andDowsett,G.1982.MakingtheDifference:
Schools,FamiliesandSocialDivision.Sydney:Allen&Unwin.
Cookson,P.W.andPersell,C.H.1985.PreparingforPower:America’sEliteBoarding
Schools.NewYork:BasicBooks.
Epstein,D.,Fahey,J.,andKenway,J.2013.“MultisitedGlobalEthnographyandTravel:
GenderedJourneysinThreeRegisters.”InternationalJournalofQualitativeStudiesin
Education26(4):470–488.DOI:10.1080/09518398.2013.765613.
Fahey,J.,Prosser,H.,andShaw,M.(eds.)2015.SocialAestheticsofEliteSchools:
ExploringtheSensoryDynamicsofPrivilege.CulturalStudiesandTransdisciplinarityin
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Educationbookseries:Springer.
GaztambideFernández,R.A.2009. TheBestoftheBest:BecomingEliteatanAmerican
BoardingSchool.Cambridge,MA:HarvardUniversityPress.
George,S.,ÓRiain,S.,andThayer,M.2000.“IntroductiontoPartTwo.”InM.Burawoy,
GlobalEthnography:Forces,Connections,andImaginationsinaPostmodernWorld.
Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress.
Hall,S.1980.“Race,ArticulationandSocietiesStructuredinDominance.”InUNESCO,
SociologicalTheories:RaceandColonialism.Paris:UNESCO.
Hammersley,M.andAtkinson,P.2007.Ethnography:PrinciplesinPractice,3rded.London:
Routledge.
Heiman,R.,Freeman,C.,andLiechty,M.2012.TheGlobalMiddleClasses:Theorizing
ThroughEthnography,SantaFe,NM:SchoolforAdvancedResearchPress.
Hobsbawm,E.1969.IndustryandEmpire:EconomicHistoryofBritainsince1750.London:
Weidenfeld&Nicolson.
Howard,A.2008.LearningPrivilege:LessonsofPowerandIdentityinAffluentSchooling.
NewYork:Routledge.
Kenway,J.2015.“Ethnography‘IsNotWhatItUsedtoBe’:RethinkingSpace,Time,Mobility
andMultiplicity.”InM.S.Honig(ed.), MultiPluriTrans:EmergingFieldsinEducational
Ethnography.BielefeldandNewYork:TranscriptVerlagandColumbiaUniversityPress.
KenwayJ.andFahey,J.(eds.)2009.GlobalisingtheResearchImagination.London:
Routledge.
Kenway,J.,Fahey,J.,Epstein,D.,Koh,A.,McCarthy,C.,andRizvi,F.2017.Class
Choreographies:EliteSchoolsandGlobalization.London:PalgraveMacmillan.
Kenway,J.andProsser,H.2015.“DistinguishedSpaces:EliteSchoolsasCartographersof
Privilege.”InJ.Fahey,H.Prosser,andM.Shaw(eds.),IntheRealmoftheSenses:Social
AestheticsandtheSensoryDynamicsofPrivilege.Singapore:Springer.
Khan,S.R.2011.Privilege:TheMakingofanAdolescentEliteatSt.Paul’sSchool.
Princeton:PrincetonUniversityPress.
Koh,A.andKenway,J.2016.“Introduction:ReadingtheDynamicsofEducationalPrivilege
throughaSpatialLens.”InA.KohandJ.Kenway(eds.),EliteSchooling:Multiple
GeographiesofPrivilege.NewYork:Routledge.
Lewis,L.2001.“TheContestationofRaceinBarbadianSociety.”InB.MeekesandF.Lindahl
(eds.),NewCaribbeanThought:AReader.Jamaica:UniversityofWestIndiesPress.
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Ma,E.K.W.2011. DesiringHongKong,ConsumingSouthChina:TransborderCultural
Politics,1970–2010.HongKong:HongKongUniversityPress.
Marcus,G.1998.EthnographythroughThickandThin,Princeton:PrincetonUniversity
Press.
Marcus,G.2011.“MultiSitedEthnography:FiveorSixThingsIKnowaboutItNow.”InS.
ColemanandP.vonHellermann(eds.),MultiSitedEthnography:Problemsand
PossibilitiesintheTranslocationofResearchMethods.NewYork:Routledge.
O’Neill,C.2014.CatholicsofConsequence:TransnationalEducation,SocialMobility,and
theIrishCatholicElite1850–1900.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress.
Ong,A.1999.FlexibleCitizenship:TheCulturalLogicsofTransnationality.Durham,NC
andLondon:DukeUniversityPress.
Ong,A.2006.NeoliberalismasException:MutationsinCitizenshipandSovereignty.
Durham,NCandLondon:DukeUniversityPress.
Paton,D.2007“EnslavedWomenBeforeandAfter1807.”HistoryinFocus:TheGuideto
HistoricalResources.Issue12:Slavery.London:InstituteofHistoricalResearch.
http://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Focus/Slavery/articles/paton.html(accessedAugust30,2017).
Pink,S.2009.DoingSensoryEthnography.London:Sage.
Prosser,H.2014.“ReachfortheStars:AConstellationalApproachtoEthnographiesofElite
Schools.”Globalisation,SocietiesandEducation12(2):275–289.DOI:
10.1080/14767724.2014.888309.
ReadR.2005.“ScopicRegimesandtheObservationalApproach:EthnographicFilmmakingin
aCzechInstitution.”VisualAnthropology18(1):47–64.Publishedincooperationwiththe
CommissiononVisualAnthropology.
RoundSquare.2015.Onlineatwww.roundsquare.org(accessedAugust29,2017).
Wang,Y.2014.“TheComplexCulturalLogicsofSelfMaking:ChineseBackgroundYouthin
anEliteAustralianSchool.”PhDthesis,MonashUniversity,Clayton,Australia.
Watson,K.2013.“SlaveryandEconomyinBarbados.”BBC:BritishHistory.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/barbados_01.shtml(accessedAugust
30,2017).
FurtherReading
Bauman,Z.2000.LiquidModernity.Cambridge:PolityPress.
Smith,M.P.andFavell,A.(eds.)2006.TheHumanFaceofGlobalMobility,International
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

HighlySkilledMigrationinEurope,NorthAmericaandtheAsiaPacific .Comparative
UrbanandCommunityResearch,Vol.8.NewBrunswick,NJ:TransactionPress.
Notes
1WeexpressoursinceregratitudetoPalgraveMacmillanforagreeingtoletusextract
selectionsfromvariouschaptersinClassChoreographies:EliteSchoolsand
GlobalizationbyKenwayetal.(2017).
2TheteamconsistedofJaneKenway,JohannahFahey,DianaLangmead(Monash),Fazal
Rizvi(Melbourne),CameronMcCarthy(Illinois),DebbieEpstein(Cardiff),andAaron
Koh(NIE,Singapore).AssociatedPhDstudentswereMatthewShaw,HowardProsser
(Monash),andMousumiMukherjee(Melbourne).ThestudywasfundedbytheAustralian
ResearchCouncil(DP1093778)andourrespectiveuniversities.
3AdditionalPhDstudiesare/wereinCyprus,Argentina,andIndia.Newstudiesarecurrently
underwayinIsraelandPoland,byShlomiHanukaandAlexandraDunwillrespectively
(bothfromMonashUniversity).
4Allschoolsandpeoplehavebeenanonymized.
5RoundSquare’sprestigeisindicatedbyitsstronglinkstoBritishandGreekroyaltyand
otherpowerfulfigures.Forinstance,itslistofpatronsanddirectorsincludesH.M.King
Constantine,H.R.H.TheDukeofYork,andthelateNelsonMandela.QueenElizabethII
openedtheRoundSquareInternationalConferenceatWellingtonCollegeinBerkshirein
frontofotherroyaltyalongwithover1000studentsandstaff.
The Wiley Handbook of Ethnography of Education, edited by Dennis Beach, et al., John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central,
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cuhk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5317474.
Created from cuhk-ebooks on 2024-04-15 02:15:58.
Copyright © 2018. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. All rights reserved.