Does Orthodoxy of Knowledge Polarize Social Anchoring?: Representations of the Market as a Function of Academic Major and Subjective Knowledge in Economics

This research examines hegemonic social representations of the economic system as a function of academic majors and subjective knowledge in economics. The results evidenced that studying social and political sciences (N = 205) and literature (N = 190), was linked to hierarchy attenuating orientation, and geared to a subversive stance towards the market. In contrast, majoring in business (N = 140) and law (N = 98) was linked to a weaker hierarchy attenuating orientation, and led to a market legitimizing stance. Moreover, subjective knowledge in economics polarized these effects primarily in majors in which economic issues were of academic interest, that is, in business and social and political sciences. This research, which sought to articulate hierarchy enhancing/attenuating beliefs with hegemonic/subversive social representations, highlights the function of the orthodoxy of knowledge in the academic anchoring of social representations.