Elitism at SciencesPo

About three days before my flight was set to leave for France, I found myself huddled around the kitchen table with my parents engaging in a long conversation about the adventure on which I was about to embark. At some point, my Dad turned to me and warned me that universities in Europe were far more classist than those in Canada. I brushed off his comments.

I assumed my dad was describing the Europe of his time, the culture he left 19 years ago. I couldn't picture an academic setting that would push a narrative of superiority or intellectual elitism — how alien, how foreign. Just about anyone in Canada can get into university. Sure, some institutions carry a little more prestige, but at an undergraduate level, the world of Canadian post-secondary education is incredibly relaxed.

Then I arrived at SciencesPo Menton. I attended the rentrée solennelle and I heard myself called an elite member of French society; I felt very confused.

Elite? That word carries some heavy connotation for me. Division, oppression, superiority, social stratification-isolated-out-of-touch-legacy….. These ideas swirled around my head as I sat in the Descoings Amphitheatre. Who would willingly define themselves as an elite? The thought of being seen as a member of some special social club made me feel a little ill, and it became clear that my reaction was not unique in speaking to other American and Canadian students.

I had to stop myself from spiralling, and question whether the way I had come to understand the elite was different from its meaning in France. Perhaps my issue was not with the ideology of SciencesPo but rather was founded in my own cultural ignorance. I became curious — what does it mean to be an elite here in France? Can the idea of an elite play a valid and productive role in modern society, or is this an archaic concept that needs to be laid to rest?

In speaking to a French track student who will remain anonymous, I encountered quite a different definition of the elite from the one I had come to know. This source defines the elite as a “part of a given population that has the most… cultural capital” and thus the power to influence society. However they also make a distinction between “theoretical” elites and “true” elites. To be an elite, this source believes that one must manifest cultural capital in the form of productive action. One must use education and power to contribute to societal progress. Hence the source denotes that elites can be valuable to society but only when they utilize the power bestowed to them by their cultural capital, and further suggests that only those who do, constitute legitimate elites.

This perspective seems to merge meritocratic values with the concept of elites, something that I as a Canadian student would never have considered possible. However the definition produces more questions if we return again to the tendency of Sciences Po to label it’s students as elite. Have we truly had the opportunity to accumulate cultural capital and use it to the benefit of society? Many students underwent rigorous and selective application processes to arrive here, but does that in and of itself make them elite? According to my source, it does not. We cannot adopt the powerful identifier that is “The elite” whilst spending our time partying and invading Sablettes. As of now, we are merely “elites in potential.”

This assertion creates some conflict when we consider the manifestations of elitism on our campus. I'm referring specifically to the selectivity of student organizations in Menton. Discovering that student associations have rigorous application processes and further reject many candidates was a huge surprise to me. My English track peers and I have discussed on numerous occasions how confusing it is that some people are denied the opportunity to volunteer their time to causes about which they are passionate.

At the core of this application tradition is the belief that a hand-picked group of the most qualified individuals is more efficient and capable than a large group of interested people. In all honesty, that doesn’t sound too unreasonable. However, I’ve encountered many people who were denied entry to associations in spite of being highly qualified for a position. It seems as if the validity of association boards is characterized by the exclusion of other students — selectivity is a means to achieve legitimacy. Finally, if we return to my source's assertion that the state of being an elite must be earned through action, why is it that we deny “potential elites” in our student body the opportunity to manifest their cultural capital in a productive manner?

My source makes a point to say, “we should not categorize French students as a pro-elite group.” French society is deeply split on the validity and responsibilities of the elite. However, the source also recognizes that having grown up with an understanding of Les Grandes Écoles, and having internalized the validity of the selective process through schooling, French students have a “specific opinion of the Elite.”

Looking at the history of elites in France can provide some insight as to why the notion of elites remains so prevalent in the French education system. A study by Mara P. Squicciarini of Bocconi University, and UCLA Anderson’s Nico Voigtländer found that the French revolution was driven by “enlightened elites.” Indeed, it was educated scientists and philosophers who drove social change and upended the French monarchy. This study found that regions in revolutionary France with higher proportions of knowledgeable elites were far more likely to support education for the masses, freedom of the press, and equal rights.

It is unsurprising that elites have come to be associated with the protection of freedom and education in France. Such that the contributions of this class built the foundation of modern French values, there is a logic to the belief that they should continue to strongly influence politics in this nation. Ultimately, this study concludes that “the presence of ‘enlightened elites’ can encourage positive growth and democracy-building.”

Perhaps the state of being an elite in France is less defined by a special quality or superior intellect, and more founded in a passionate desire to improve French society. Indeed, this definition seems to echo that which my source provided. But this does not explain the origins of anti-elitism in France, which is just as prevalent as elitism itself. Consider the Gilets Jaunes, a popular movement that attacked the supposed oligarchic French political system, claiming it was governed by rich, out-of-touch Elites. My source agrees that these movements are founded on a valid critique of classism in the French system, wherein “it is very hard for the son or daughter of a worker to gain legitimate cultural knowledge.”

According to the French Observatory of Inequalities, students whose parents hold high income jobs are 12 times more likely to enter l’Ecole Nationale d’Administration, one of Les Grandes Écoles, than those from poorer backgrounds. It is important to note that l’Ecole Nationale d’Administration has a reputation for producing presidents, heads of state and senior officials in the French administration. Thus, in excluding a social class from accessing schools such as l’ENA, huge portions of the population come to feel unrepresented by their government. In a way, Les Grandes Écoles have become emblematic of class division within French society. To justify this claim, one need only look at Macron’s announcement on April 8th that l’ENA will be abolished and replaced by a "Public Service Institution.” This comes two years after Macron introduced the idea of closing l’ENA as a response to the Gilets Jaunes movement.

Considering this, why is it that we, at Sciences Po, continue to build an identity around elitism? The emotional attachment to the historical revelry that surrounded the academic elite is not productive. My source states that to combat anti-elitism, equality of opportunity must be established within the French education system, though this is an idealistic objective. A change of that nature requires that we reframe the notion of the elite; it requires us to stop calling students elite when they have yet to make societal contributions. The practice of calling a student elite based merely on their place of study denotes that one need not achieve legitimacy through action, thus breeding “theoretical elites” who lack a sense of responsibility to the betterment of society. Macron’s closure of l’ENA suggests that French culture and political opinion is shifting in its view of the elite. If SciencesPo is not careful, it shall be left behind in this tide of changing perception.

- Saoirse Aherne