A gown called malice: undergraduate PE students’ belonging in university, social-class and race

This article considers the relationship between the institutional culture at one university in England, and working-class, racially minoritised PE students’ sense of belonging. In an attempt at what Ali Meghji refers to as theoretical synergy, we explore the interlocking nature of race and social class using Bourdieusian Sociology alongside bell hooks’ concept of “class shame.” We draw upon the work of Black and minority ethnic scholars who have extended Bourdieu’s ideas as much as his tools. Here, we connect participants’ individual lived experiences at university with wider social structures impacting their belonging. We examine the experiences of students when moving from educational institutions in multicultural-urban neighbourhoods to the predominantly white, middle-class spaces at university. In particular, we explore how interactions with peers impacted students' experiences of belonging, focusing on how factors such as accents, fashion, and humour shaped interactions with peers and notions of belonging.