Gender, identity and culture in physics

This talk will explore a diverse set of trajectories into higher education physics, zooming in on what has made physics studies possible for minoritised students. In doing so, mechanisms of in/exclusion will be highlighted, with a focus on how gender and social class are made relevant in students’ stories about their trajectories to higher education physics. The talk will also zoom out to explore how cultural traits of the discipline of physics contributes to in/exclusion of students, demonstrating how an analytical perspective focused on gender, identity, and culture can nuance and deepen the understanding of students’ physics learning experiences.