The Supreme Court’s Rejection of Affirmative Action and Student Debt: Unmasking the Myth of Meritocracy

TRIBUNE

Article reserved for subscribers

By ending affirmative action for minorities and denying the federal government the right to act on student debt, the Supreme Court reaffirms its belief in the myth of meritocratic purity that promotes social reproduction, points the historian Romain Huret.

In a few days, the Supreme Court of the United States displayed without restraint its position on access to higher education. By putting an end to positive discrimination (affirmative action) for minorities and by refusing the federal administration the right to act on student debt, it endorses the conservative theory of human capital, inviting everyone to invest in their success. individual. It reaffirms its belief in an original meritocratic purity, the hallmark of a country where everyone can climb the social ladder thanks to their talent and individual work alone. The judges mostly sat on the mass of social science books and articles dismantling this meritocratic myth in 21st century America.

These works have patiently demonstrated the central role of higher education in consolidating the dominant positions of the elite, despite the efforts undertaken in the middle of the 20th century. The university no longer plays its role of social elevator and strengthens cultural and social capital more than ever. According to some, this function has an institutional basis: family preference (legacy preference), the positive discrimination enjoyed by members of the elite which the journalist Michael Lind described as

2023-07-03 15:28:10


#University #United #States #endorses #inequality #opportunity