How do educational contexts contribute to the social class achievement gap: documenting symbolic violence from a social psychological point of view

This article examines how the educational system participates in the reproduction of social inequality. After exposing the basics of the Social Reproduction Theory developed in sociology by Bourdieu and Passeron in 1977, we examine the research in social psychology that documents the reality of ‘symbolic violence’ that is the symbolic power that operates in the classroom and undermines the performance of students from underprivileged backgrounds. Three lines of research are examined: self-esteem, self-threat and research on the non-neutrality of educational settings. Highlights •This article examines how the educational system contributes to social inequality. •The classroom is conceived as a level playing field that reveals individual merit. •But the implicit cultural norms that prevail in school advantage high-SES students. •This hidden advantage fuels the symbolic disqualification of low-SES students. •This symbolic violence undermines the self and amplifies social inequality.