Mick Matthys is a Professor at University Utrecht.

This qualitative study explores the meaning of working-class origin in the life and career of university graduates. Matthys approaches social mobility as a trajectory of identity construction in which different classes are integrated, and uses the notion of identity capital to interpret and discuss the meaning of the individual drive in social mobility.

1. (When) Working Class-Children Enter Academic Learning: Problem Formulation, the Field and Method 2. A Tough Life? 3. Identity, Context and Agency 4. A Firm Foundation 5. A Successful Transformation 6. Career and Life 7. Hicks and Proletarians 8. Reflections: The Part I Have Played 9. Abstract and Conclusions. Appendix: List of Respondents.