Martin Myers

Drawing upon current debates on inequalities in higher education, particularly those of race and class, and based on a Bourdieusian discussion of the relational nature of different capitals and competition for such capitals, this must-read text explores how Black and minority ethnic (BME) students navigate the university and the relational competition for capitals and status. With original accounts of the experiences of BME students in higher education, this book draws on interviews with 58 students across three different universities to further understand experiences of how BME students navigate the predominantly White spaces of UK universities. It explores how racial inequalities continue to persist in higher education and demonstrates that greater attention needs to be made to the transitions made, not just into higher education, but from higher education. It evidences how types of support offered by different universities to different types of students ensure systemic disadvantages are reinforced and that career outcomes are embodied and legitimised in students in the practices fostered by their university. Identifying that racism is not a new phenomenon in UK higher education but that it has adapted to changing socio-economic conditions, this is a must-read book for anyone working in higher education or with an interest in the experiences of BME students through the higher education system.

Drawing upon current debates on inequalities in higher education, particularly those of race and class, and based on a Bourdieusian discussion of the relational nature of different capitals and competition for such capitals, this must-read text explores how Black and minority ethnic (BME) students navigate the university and the relational competition for capitals and status. With original accounts of the experiences of BME students in higher education, this book draws on interviews with 58 students across three different universities to further understand experiences of how BME students navigate the predominantly White spaces of UK universities. It explores how racial inequalities continue to persist in higher education and demonstrates that greater attention needs to be made to the transitions made, not just into higher education, but from higher education. It evidences how types of support offered by different universities to different types of students ensure systemic disadvantages are reinforced and that career outcomes are embodied and legitimised in students in the practices fostered by their university. Identifying that racism is not a new phenomenon in UK higher education but that it has adapted to changing socio-economic conditions, this is a must-read book for anyone working in higher education or with an interest in the experiences of BME students through the higher education system.

"Some books make you laugh, and others make you think. It's a rare literary offering that prompts both. Return of The Secret Viking achieves this unlikely feat and much more. Martin Myers does it again in a novel filled with humour, insight, and a love of language. Bravo." - Terry Fallis, two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour PREPOSTEROUS, POETIC, PROFOUND AND EXTREMELY FUNNY When 1300-year-old Viking warrior poet, Thorsten the Rood, realizes the novel he has been writing is becoming reality, his efforts to escape a world of his own design include hiding himself away. But the renegade plot has its own ideas and won't let go; it twists and turns and now the long-lived Viking's life is in danger. How and when did he become a character in his own book? And who is writing it now? Is it the mysterious know-it-all search engine called Giggle? Or is it the malevolent diet doctor, Lion Rampa? Or has his friend and confidant, Professor August Dallou, become his enemy, and his downfall? Return of The Secret Viking is the mind-bending second installment in the saga of Thorsten the Rood by internationally acclaimed author Martin Myers, and a journey not to be missed.

Providing an extraordinary picture of the inner workings of elite universities, Elite Universities and the Making of Privilege draws on current debates on education and inequality and considers the relevance of universities’ global brand identities. Using the work of Bourdieu and critical race theory to explore how identity, experience and family background affects how people navigate the social space of the university, this book is underpinned with empirical research that considers different social, economic and educational contexts. Using interview accounts of graduate students, this book highlights ambiguities in how eliteness works as both a recognisable marker of institutional status and a marker that is rarely quantified or defined. Combining intellectually rigorous, accessible and controversial chapters, Elite Universities and the Making of Privilege is crucial reading for anyone looking to understand how race and class affect those navigating elite universities.

Providing an extraordinary picture of the inner workings of elite universities, Elite Universities and the Making of Privilege draws on current debates on education and inequality and considers the relevance of universities’ global brand identities. Using the work of Bourdieu and critical race theory to explore how identity, experience and family background affects how people navigate the social space of the university, this book is underpinned with empirical research that considers different social, economic and educational contexts. Using interview accounts of graduate students, this book highlights ambiguities in how eliteness works as both a recognisable marker of institutional status and a marker that is rarely quantified or defined. Combining intellectually rigorous, accessible and controversial chapters, Elite Universities and the Making of Privilege is crucial reading for anyone looking to understand how race and class affect those navigating elite universities.

Home Schooling and Home Education provides an original account of home education and examines ways in which the discourses of home education are understood and contextualised in different countries, such as the UK and USA. By exploring home education in the global and local context of traditional schooling, the book bridges a much-needed gap in educational and social scientific research. The authors explore home education from two related perspectives: firstly how and why home education is accessed by different social groups; and secondly, how these groups are perceived as home educators. The book draws upon empirical case study research with those who use home education to address issues of inequality, difference and inclusion, before offering suggestions for viable policy shifts in this area, as well as broadening understandings of risk and marginality. It engages and initiates debates about alternatives to the standard schooling model within a critical sociological context. The scholarly emphasis and original nature of Home Schooling and Home Education makes this essential reading for academics and postgraduate researchers in the fields of education and sociology, as well as for educational policymakers.

Home Schooling and Home Education provides an original account of home education and examines ways in which the discourses of home education are understood and contextualised in different countries, such as the UK and USA. By exploring home education in the global and local context of traditional schooling, the book bridges a much-needed gap in educational and social scientific research. The authors explore home education from two related perspectives: firstly how and why home education is accessed by different social groups; and secondly, how these groups are perceived as home educators. The book draws upon empirical case study research with those who use home education to address issues of inequality, difference and inclusion, before offering suggestions for viable policy shifts in this area, as well as broadening understandings of risk and marginality. It engages and initiates debates about alternatives to the standard schooling model within a critical sociological context. The scholarly emphasis and original nature of Home Schooling and Home Education makes this essential reading for academics and postgraduate researchers in the fields of education and sociology, as well as for educational policymakers.

This is a scholarly account of the shaping of Gypsy identity in the UK, contextualised in terms of recent and historic tendencies to either misrepresent or misrecognise Gypsy culture. The book suggests that understandings of Gypsy culture are enhanced by understandings of how strangers are recognised within society and by understandings of how 'white' culture differentiates itself. It examines how multi-cultural society reproduces many of the same aspects of misrecognition and misrepresentation that might be more readily equated with less liberal regimes.