Hughes, C. (2021) Education and Elitism: Challenges and Opportunities. Routledge.

Education and Elitism discusses polemical debates around; privilege, private schools, elitist universities, equal access to education, and underlying notions of fairness. The overarching question that runs through the book is about the future of education worldwide: how can schools and universities tread the tightrope between access and quality?

This book investigates the philosophical positions that characterize elitism and anti-elitism to establish three types: meritocratic, plutocratic, and cultural. These types of elitism (and their counter-positions) are used as reference points throughout the book's analysis of successive educational themes. The conclusion leads to suggestions that bridge the worlds of elitism and egalitarianism worldwide. The book covers critical questions related to the sociology and philosophy of education with a particular focus on contemporary disruptors to education such as the COVID-19 pandemic and protest movements for social justice.

Find the book here.