Rootedness, continuity and connection: the value of place in discussions of social mobility

Political framings of social mobility focus on working-class individuals escaping their background to attain better life outcomes. Sociological literature critiques the individualist nature of social mobility by exploring challenges faced by ‘underrepresented groups’ in higher education and beyond. These policy debates can misrecognise the value inherent in working-class communities. The significance of rootedness, connection and continuity to valued personhood is ignored. Drawing on a pre-establishedconceptual model of person-value, this article asks questions of social mobility as it is understood in the policy landscape. Based on ethnographic research in a working-class community, I argue for recognition of locally valued personhood as situated within a ‘place’. Often not the ‘forward-propelling’ subjects of neoliberal policy discourse, participants drew upon generational anchoring, collective memory, and the gifting of place to embed value relationally. This was not always easy as devaluation by ‘outsiders’ was feared. The findings suggest the need to question the policy framing of social mobility and its relevance for working-class communities for whom maintaining rootedness, connection and continuity to people and place is key. The article concludes by considering the role of place in social mobility policy, cautioning against deficit policy framing that seeks to improve working-class communities.