ABSTRACT
Studies on “elites” as an influential group within their societies have been a part of social theory since classical elite theorists. However, the role of elite schools in elite reproduction gained prominence as a research focus following Pierre Bourdieu’s critical approach to the French education system. Bourdieu’s conceptual framework continues to shape contemporary studies in elite education. This paper conducts a conceptual analysis of the concepts developed in academic works published after 2000 that focus on “elite schools” and explain the relationship between the elite class and education. A conceptual analysis aims to explore how these concepts evolve within a theoretical framework and provide a more comprehensive understanding of their diverse interpretations in the literature. Through the resulting “conceptual map”, this article seeks to both interrogate the current impact of Bourdieu’s inequality-based reproduction thesis on contemporary debates and provides insight into the evolving direction of discussions in the field of elite schools and elite education. This study eventually demonstrates that the conceptual framework of Bourdieu’s theory of cultural reproduction continues to play a significant role in shaping contemporary debates on elite education.