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Born to rule: The making and remaking of the British elite

11 December 2024, 1:00 pm–2:00 pm

Private school boys (Wilson Hui, CC BY 2.0)

Join this event to hear Aaron Reeves and Sam Friedman discuss the following questions: Are today’s power brokers a conservative chumocracy, born to privilege and anointed at Eton and Oxford? Or is a new progressive elite emerging with different values and political instincts?

This event is free.

Event Information

Open to

All

Availability

Yes

Cost

Free

Organiser

Tobias Ruttenauer

Location

Room G03
55-59 Gordon Square
London
WC1H 0NU

In this seminar, Aaron and Sam will look at the profiles, interests, and careers of over 125,000 members of the British elite from the late 1890s to today. At the heart of the study is the historical database of Who’s Who, as well as genealogical records, probate data, and interviews with over 200 leading figure.

They will discuss the changes in how elites present themselves today and its consequences for the exercise of power.

The speakers draw from their new book Born To Rule exploring how the British elite has changed over the last 120 years, examining the propulsive power of top private schools, the changing nature of elite culture and the meaning of merit.


This event will be particularly useful for researchers.

Please note this is a hybrid event and can be joined either in-person or online.


Related links

Image

Wilson Hui, CC BY 2.0.

About the Speakers

Aaron Reeves

Professor of Sociology and Social Policy in the Department of Social Policy and Intervention at Oxford University

He is also a Senior Research Fellow at Green Templeton College and a Visiting Senior Fellow at the International Inequalities Institute at LSE.

He studies the causes and consequences of social inequality, with a focus on the political economy of health, welfare reform, and processes of elite formation.

Sam Friedman

Sociologist of class and inequality

His research focuses in particular on the cultural dimensions of contemporary class division.