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Reimagining the illusio of meritocracy: affective and reflexive reconfigurations in rural students' transition to elite universities.

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Title: Reimagining the illusio of meritocracy: affective and reflexive reconfigurations in rural students' transition to elite universities.
Authors: Yu, Jingran1,2 (AUTHOR) yujingran@xmu.edu.cn, Xie, Ailei3 (AUTHOR) xieailei@m.scnu.edu.cn
Source: Higher Education (00181560). May2026, Vol. 91 Issue 5, p1741-1756. 16p.
Subject Terms: *Rural education, *Affect (Psychology), *Elitism in education, Meritocracy, Reflexivity, Psychological distress, Sociologists, Social mobility
Geographic Terms: China
Abstract: The adaptation of students from underprivileged backgrounds at elite universities, particularly the emotional costs of this process, has become a focal point in recent scholarship. However, existing literature tends to attribute these struggles solely to students' sociocultural backgrounds while neglecting the diversity within and the agency of this student group. Based on a longitudinal study of students from rural backgrounds at four elite universities in China, we adopt an affective approach to a Bourdieusian analysis of their emotional struggles with the competing illusio of meritocracy encountered upon entering elite universities. Their emotional struggles are aggravated by their affective affinity with the meritocratic doxa prevalent in high school, yet also spark a reflexivity on the taken-for-grantedness of the symbolic and affective order associated with meritocracy. Our study thus calls for attention to the nuanced complexities shaped by the diversity of students' trajectories to higher education, as well as their affective and reflexive reconfigurations that could engender resistance and subversion to dominant discourse and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Higher Education (00181560) is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Higher+Education+%2800181560%29%22">Higher Education (00181560)</searchLink>. May2026, Vol. 91 Issue 5, p1741-1756. 16p.
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  Data: The adaptation of students from underprivileged backgrounds at elite universities, particularly the emotional costs of this process, has become a focal point in recent scholarship. However, existing literature tends to attribute these struggles solely to students' sociocultural backgrounds while neglecting the diversity within and the agency of this student group. Based on a longitudinal study of students from rural backgrounds at four elite universities in China, we adopt an affective approach to a Bourdieusian analysis of their emotional struggles with the competing illusio of meritocracy encountered upon entering elite universities. Their emotional struggles are aggravated by their affective affinity with the meritocratic doxa prevalent in high school, yet also spark a reflexivity on the taken-for-grantedness of the symbolic and affective order associated with meritocracy. Our study thus calls for attention to the nuanced complexities shaped by the diversity of students' trajectories to higher education, as well as their affective and reflexive reconfigurations that could engender resistance and subversion to dominant discourse and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Higher Education (00181560) is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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              Text: May2026
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