On the Manifestation and Reproduction of the Discordant Social Dynamics of Elitism

Abstract

The hypothesis is that elitism, as defined in a way that recognizes the dysfunctional connotations of this concept, fosters discordant social dynamics including norms and social capital that are deleterious to any institution. Elitism is a set of behaviours and attitudes built around an individual or group engaged in self-granting and self-promoting elite status, essentially a dysfunctional way to promote and protect this status. This inquiry draws on Pierre Bourdieu’s conception of habitus which offers a powerful context to explain the social dynamics of elitism. The Canadian Airborne Regiment is used as a case study to examine military elitism at an institutional level. Potential empirical indicators of elitism are identified in a review of the literature, resulting in the creation of an analytical grid that was applied to witness testimony from the public inquiry held in relation to the Regiment’s deployment to Somalia in 1992. Testing and validating the analytic grid of key variables and empirical indicators of elitism confirmed three major themes along with corresponding dispositions representing deeply ingrained mindsets and practices that facilitate the manifestation and reproduction of elitism. These dispositions provide significant insight into how elitism is manifested, maintained and regulated within an institution.