TY  - BOOK
AU  - Littler, Jo
AB  - In this book Jo Littler argues that meritocracy is the key cultural means of legitimation for contemporary neoliberal culture – and that whilst it promises opportunity, it in fact creates new forms of social division. Against Meritocracy is split into two parts. Part I explores the genealogies of meritocracy within social theory, political discourse and working cultures. It traces the dramatic U-turn in meritocracy’s meaning, from socialist slur to a contemporary ideal of how a society should be organised. Part II uses a series of case studies to analyse the cultural pull of popular ‘parables of progress’, from reality TV to the super-rich and celebrity CEOs, from social media controversies to the rise of the ‘mumpreneur’. Paying special attention to the role of gender, ‘race’ and class, this book provides new conceptualisations of the meaning of meritocracy in contemporary culture and society.
DO  - 10.4324/9781315712802
ID  - OAPEN ID: 1004179
ID  - OAPEN ID: OCN: 1100544149
KW  - Media & Communications
KW  - meritocracy
KW  - social mobility
KW  - neoliberalism
KW  - upward mobility
KW  - social inequality
L1  - https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/id/48837149-8b35-4f65-b7bc-8391ddffc432/1004179.pdf
LA  - English
LK  - http://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/25903
PB  - Taylor & Francis
PY  - 2017
SN  - 9781317496045
SN  - 9781138889545
SN  - 9781315712802
SN  - 9781138889552
TI  - Against Meritocracy : Culture, power and myths of mobility
ER  - 
