In Aaron Reeves and Sam Friedman’s new book, which they launch at this event, they provide a uniquely data-rich analysis of the British elite from the Victorian era to today: who gets in, how they get there, what they like and look like, where they go to school, and what politics they perpetuate.
Think of the British elite and familiar caricatures spring to mind. But are today’s power brokers a conservative chumocracy, born to privilege and anointed at Eton and Oxford? Or is a new progressive elite emerging with different values and political instincts? Aaron Reeves and Sam Friedman combed through a trove of data in search of an answer, scrutinizing the profiles, interests, and careers of over 125,000 members of the British elite from the late 1890s to today. At the heart of this meticulously researched study is the historical database of Who’s Who, but the authors also mined genealogical records, examined probate data, and interviewed over 200 leading figures from a wide range of backgrounds and professions to uncover who runs Britain, how they think, and what they want.
Meet our speakers and chair
Sam Friedman (@SamFriedmanSoc) is Professor of Sociology at LSE and co-author of The Class Ceiling: Why it Pays to be Privileged, and author of Comedy and Distinction: the Cultural Currency of a ‘Good’ Sense of Humour. He is the co-editor of The British Journal of Sociology.
Hashi Mohamed (@hm_hashi) is a barrister at Landmark Chambers based in London, practising in planning and environment law. He is the author of People Like Us: What it Takes to Make it in Modern Britain and A Home of One’s Own and A Home of One's Own: Why the Housing Crisis Matters.
Aaron Reeves (@aaronsreeves) is from September 2024 Professor of Sociology at LSE. An award-winning sociologist who has conducted pioneering studies on health and social class, he is the co-editor of the British Journal of Sociology.
Lauren Rivera is the Peter G. Peterson Chair of Corporate Ethics at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. Her research unpacks how the way people define and evaluate merit shapes social inequalities. Her book Pedigree: How Elite Students Get Elite Jobs investigates on-campus recruitment and hiring for elite professional service firms and the roles that social class, gender, and race play in this process.
Faiza Shaheen (@faizashaheen) is an economist, writer, and commentator. She has over 15 years of experience researching the trends and consequences of inequality, as well as designing policies and campaigns to address the causes of inequality and exclusion. She is the author of Know Your Place: how society sets us up to fail and what we can do about it.
Suzanne Hall is Professor of Sociology at LSE and Head of Department. Her research and teaching explore the intersections of global migration and urban marginalisation. Suzi’s focus is on everyday claims to space and how political economies of displacement shape racial borders, migrant livelihoods, and urban multicultures.
More about this event
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The Department of Sociology (@LSEsociology) seeks to produce sociology that is public-facing, fully engaged with London as a global city, and with major contemporary debates in the intersection between economy, politics and society – with issues such as financialisation, inequality, migration, urban ecology, and climate change.
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Podcast & Video
A podcast of this event is available to download from Born to rule: the making and remaking of the British elite.
A video of this event is available to watch at Born to rule: the making and remaking of the British elite.
Podcasts and videos of many LSE events can be found at the LSE Public Lectures and Events: podcasts and videos channel.