It is true that we are all petty bourgeois elites who are privileged to be university professors. But it is wrong to suggest that the influence is only from parents to children. We routinely mentor and encourage students from different backgrounds despite discrimination and exclusion.
Elite or not, the educational system is democratic enough to let excellence shine even from the children of peasants and market women. If we need more economists, then we should simply encourage more interest in the discipline. No matter what discipline, we must strive to develop new theories in order to be influential in academia. What are the original theories in any discipline developed by African scholars in recent times?
Where are the children of the elites in African universities? They tend to go into the family busyness of polootics while the professors are no longer regarded as members of the elites in a money-centered world.
BIKO
On Wednesday, 13 July 2022 at 08:30:24 GMT-4, Harrow, Kenneth <harrow@msu.edu> wrote:
for a quick question a quick answer.
it depends onhow you define elite. it is more the case that elite--if that means rich--take the trajectory to business and control over corporations etc. than to the intellectual and scientific paths of universities. the people who wind up teaching are often 2nd or 3rd generation families, some from immigration or from poorer origins, for whom making maximum money matters less than advancing in culture or knowledge or science. the status of the university is a stand-in for intellectual capital, and that comes not from origins or community but from ability and hard work.
unfortunately, ability and hard work won't suffice if there are obstacles like racism or bigotry; but the story is not simply one side or another. you can come from very wealthy stock and never understand calculus, and poor students who shine get lots of scholarships to help them advance.
"advance" means to succeed in school and want to move up in the arts or sciences. those are the elites you are talking about.
ken
kenneth harrow
professor emeritus
dept of english
michigan state university
517 803-8839
harrow@msu.edu
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Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Elite Professors
Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2022 6:30 PM
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Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Elite Professors
"Why do people from elite backgrounds dominate academia? A separate analysis suggests a simple answer: When many of a job's rewards are non-monetary, that job tends to be done by people for whom cash is not a concern."
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