Needing to be ‘in the know’: strategies of subordination used by 10-11 year old school boys

The point is not so much whether these things were actually all true but that they were
thought to be true, for their power and influence derived from their effect, and from what
they were perceived to mean and stand for. The fact that, for instance, Gavin and Andre
wore a popular make of trainers was not even noticed by some of the boys in the
interviews. When Denis deliberately broke a toilet window it was regarded as being
‘naughty’, and rather wild whereas, I have the suspicion, that if one of the leading boys in
the class had done such a thing they would have been thought of, by some of the others at
least, as being a hero of counter school resistance.

Westmoor Abbey

The subordinated boys at Westmoor Abbey experienced far greater levels of abuse than
at the other two schools. Levels of verbal and physical bullying were high and
homophobia was prevalent throughout the peer group culture. There was virtually no
resistance to the hegemonic pattern, (at least in class 6M) and all the boys practised a
type of the dominant masculinity but to a greater or lesser degree. There were only three
boys in class 6M who experienced ongoing subordination and Emlyn only joined the
class in March. Emlyn found it difficult to form friendships and was widely disparaged.

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