Author, Professor Discusses Privilege and Economic Disparity at PDS

Princeton Day School welcomed Dr. Shamus Khan, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Columbia University and author of the book Privilege: The Making of an Adolescent Elite at St. Paul's School, to campus on Thursday, Jan. 23.

There were opportunities for faculty, staff and upper school students to speak with Khan during his visit. He spoke to students at the morning assembly about the growing economic disparity in the U.S., and how it compares to other industrialized nations in the world. He also addressed the ideas of mobility and privilege in our culture. 

Afterward, Khan joined faculty, staff, Head of School Paul Stellato, PDS Board of Trustees Member Lisa Stockman and Trustee Emeritus, Jack D. Wallace ’48 for a luncheon. In the afternoon, Khan joined classes and continued the conversation with students.

“This assembly grows from ongoing conversations in our classrooms, club meetings, and affinity groups concerning privilege in its various forms," said English Department Chair Dr. Nicole Furlonge, who worked with Spanish teacher Liz Ransom to bring Khan to campus. "We hope this assembly will highlight the intellectual and personal frames we have available to us to explore, discuss, and grapple with systems of privilege. By extension, we hope this assembly will help our community think deeply about how we each move through systems of privilege here at PDS and in the world beyond our campus gate.”