The "New" UChicago

etondad
Thu, 07 Jun 2012 20:43:09 +0000

It is much easier to justify to ones’ self (and not care about others) if one is financially secure-- while I am sure that it does occur, I can imagine that if someone from modest financial circumstances were to say that she wished to study French Existential Philosophy, that she might encounter a bit of opprobrium from her family-- more so than someone who is a much more well off.

Look at the traditional perspectives of immigrant communities–Jewish earlier and now Southeast Asian and Asian now for whom medical school or another professional school is almost demanded by families. (“My son/daughter, the doctor” is a cliche in such groups.) One of my S’s friends, an Indian woman, introduces herself as the only Indian studying Classics in the University–and says that she is sure that this interest was what made the Ad Com take her–as she was so unusual. Again, of course this is a huge generalization – but as generalizations go, I think it holds…

It would be a fascinating study to compare various disciplines with the socio-economic groups that inhabit them–that could give some interesting insights–hey, if anyone is looking for a thesis topic, here it is!!!