In good company: the incomparable legend of robert college

Abstract

Robert College, an elite private high school in Istanbul, has become a legend within Turkish society, often being cited as one of the most prestigious, most expensive educational institution in the country. Every year, tens of thousands of Turkish teenagers attempt to enter the school; approximately 200 will be accepted. The present study will examine how the position of incomparability attributed to Robert College is employed by former students as a defense against challenges to both the school itself and their own identity. I will also explore the issue of how Robert College students' perception of the institutional legacy is internalized as constitutive of their own identity and outwardly represented as a source of social or cultural capital. In order to do so, I will take as a theoretical background the types of capital outlined by Bourdieu and I will use the social interaction analysis of Goffman to examine the way in which the presentation of the school and identity performed by former students during interviews depends on or refers to a shared knowledge/acknowledgement of what alumni consider to be Robert College's 'legendary' reputation.