Contingent Socialization and the Process of Engagement
Individuals can experience substantial upward and downward mobility despite persistent and widespread intergenerational transmissions. I lay the theoretical groundwork for the hypothesis of contingent socialization to help explain these empirical phenomena. In this framing, institutions of secondary socialization do not seek to socialize all candidates, nor do they seek to simply socialize viable candidates from various social backgrounds differently. Rather, powerful actors in these institutions determine the worthiness of candidates by evaluating whether those candidates engage in the work and social life of the institution. Those evaluations are shaped by race and social class distinctions, and perceptions of engagement are important for the candidate’s future successes. I present preliminary descriptive evidence in favor of this hypothesis and detail the many diverse future research directions necessary for confirming or disconfirming its viability as a useful social theory that can help address a range of empirical questions.