Bright Futures in Malawi's New Dawn: Educational Aspirations as Assertions of Identity

Abstract

Imagined futures, once a vital topic of theoretical inquiry within the sociology of culture, have been sidelined in recent decades. Rational choice models cannot explain the seemingly irrational optimism of youth aspirations, pointing to the need to explore other alternatives. This article incorporates insights from pragmatist theory and cognitive sociology to examine the relationship between imagined futures and present actions and experiences in rural Malawi, where future optimism appears particularly unfounded. Drawing from in-depth interviews and archival sources documenting ideological campaigns promoting schooling, the author shows that four elements are understood to jointly produce educational success: ambitious career goals, sustained effort, unflagging optimism, and resistance to temptation. Aspirations should be interpreted not as rational calculations, but instead as assertions of a virtuous identity, claims to be "one who aspires."

Fig. 1

Wisconsin model of status attainment

Fig. 2

Resource allocation model

Fig. 3

School attrition in Malawi. This figure was created using data provided by UNESCO for 2007, the year before the interviews for this project were conducted (UNESCO 2007, 2008a, 2008b).

Fig. 4

Expected age at marriage of qualitative sample compared with nationally representative data from the 2004 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). The DHS estimates use weighted samples ranging in age from 15 to 34.

Fig. 5

Poster showing a student inspired by her future goals to resist temptation. Photograph taken by the author in the main office of the DSS in the central region study site.