To be a girl': culture and class in schools

The problem of theorising multiplicities is one with which many feminists are currently engaged. This paper utilises recent feminist writing on social class to investigate the interplay of ethnicity, 'race' and class in the production of femininities. Drawing on ethnographic data gathered with children aged 8-11 years old, it argues that politically engaged cultural studies of class have most to offer in terms of analyses of the identifications of girls growing up in multi-ethnic urban locations. The case study of a London school provides rich insights into the complexities that both teachers and pupils deal with on a daily basis, and how it is that current formulations of 'anti-racist' thinking limit identifications for minority ethnic and 'mixed-race' children. Miranda's story is one of complex narratives of ethnic and class belongings that require careful self-regulation in order to find 'gendered acceptability' within the school environment. The paper argues that we must be ever mindful of the limits to terminologies in order to work with a range of multiplicities in ways that challenge the tenacity of racism, classism and sexism in schools and society generally.