Categories

Arts & Humanities
, 
Education and Pedagogy

The Mirage of Excellence: Symbolic Capital in Global University Hierarchies

Authors

By 
Sneh Lata
Sneh Lata, Assistant Professor and H.O.D Department of Political Science G.C.Rithoj Gurugram, Affiliated to Gurugram University Gurugram, Haryana. India
Orcid https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8195-6491

Dr. Sneh Lata is an Assistant Professor and Head of the Department of Political Science at Government College, Rithoj, Gurugram. With over six years of dedicated teaching experience, she has established herself as a distinguished academician and recognized subject matter expert.
​An avid researcher, Dr. Lata has published 14 research papers and contributed 28 chapters to various edited volumes. She has also presented 20 research papers at prestigious national and international conferences. Her core research and academic expertise span the critical areas of gender issues, politics, higher education, and contemporary societal challenges, driving meaningful discourse in her field.

STAR SCHOLARS PRESS

Published

Publication date : August 6, 2026

Synopsis

This chapter examines global university rankings through the lens of symbolic capital, arguing that rankings construct a powerful but often misleading image of academic excellence. Rather than neutrally measuring quality, rankings privilege research intensity, citation impact, reputation, and historically advantaged institutions. Drawing on Bourdieu’s theory and the sociology of quantification, the chapter analyzes how rankings shape policy, institutional behavior, and global stratification. It calls for plural, mission-sensitive approaches to evaluating higher education quality.

Copyright

Copyright (c) 2026 STAR SCHOLARS PRESS