Class Matters: Working Class Women's Perspectives on Social Class

Description

This text focuses on the theory of class as it relates to women. It debates questions such as: how do women define themselves in terms of social class and why?; is definition important or not?; what part does education play in our understanding of class?; and how does class affect relationships? Book Cover Title Copyright Contents Chapter 1 Why Class Matters References Chapter 2 Class Matters, ‘Race’ Matters, Gender Matters Introduction Identifying Differences in Constructions of Black and White Womanhood (Re)contextualizing Social Class, ‘Race’ and Gender (Mis)representations of Black Womanhood Reconciling My Educational Experiences and Social Class Position Conclusion Notes References Chapter 3 The Double-Bind of the ‘Working-Class’ Feminist Academic: The Success of Failure or the Failure of Success? Notes References Chapter 4 Women, Education and Class: The Relationship Between Class Background and Research Introduction Influences on My Own Education Early Memories Extended Family and the Neighbourhood Immediate Family Influences Domestic Responsibilities Into Work Returning to Learning A Growing Interest in Mature Student Issues Back to Higher Education Links with the Research The Women’s Stories Jenny Dilys Sheila Heather Overview Conclusion References Chapter 5 Academic as Anarchist: Working-Class Lives into Middle-Class Culture Books Working for a Living Writing the Working-Class Heroine Conclusion Note References Chapter 6 Something Vaguely Heretical: Communicating across Difference in the Country Introduction Karen’s Letter Gail’s Letter Conclusion Notes Chapter 7 ‘You’re not with your common friends now’: Race and Class Evasion in 1960s London Notes References Chapter 8 Contested Categorizations: Auto/Biography, Narrativity and Class Introduction Lack of Fit? Pedigree and Audience Discussion References Chapter 9 Missing Links: Working-Class Women of Irish Descent Difficult Questions—Different Selves Women: Outsiders Still in the Academy The Cultural Habitus of Irish Catholicity—Home and School A Working-Class Women of Irish Descent in the Academy Speaking Ourselves: Women in the Academy References Chapter 10 Switching Cultures References Chapter 11 A Class of One’s Own: Women, Social Class and the Academy Introduction Getting It Right Identity Politics Feelings of Fraudulence: Theorizing Internalized Oppression Insiders/Outsiders Being in the Right Place at the Right Time Healing Ourselves Note References Chapter 12 Classifying Practices: Representations, Capitals and Recognitions Representations and Classifications Class Forms: Forms of Capital Wrong Capitals and ‘Structures of Feelings’ Conclusions Notes References Chapter 13 Northern Accent and Southern Comfort: Subjectivity and Social Class Introduction: Sound Bites (1) Social Class and the Dialectics of Dialect: Sound Bites (2) ‘Voice Over’ Class and Gender Locations: Contract Cultures Locations and Dis/Locations: The New Politics of Subjectivity Notes References Chapter 14 Interpreting Class: Auto/Biographical Imaginations and Social Change Introduction Class Feeling/Class Healing Hybridity and Ambiguity: Class and Gender Tensions Education: Glimpsing Class and Gender Feminism: For Better, For Worse, For Good Bundles for Healing Notes References Chapter 15 To Celeb-rate and Not to Be-moan Why Politically Active? Pageant and Physicality: The Creative Culture of Progressive Movements My Trail of Bunting First Flag: Youth Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament Second Flag: Women’s Liberation Movement (WLM) Third Flag: Union Women Fourth Flag: Within the Communist Party Fifth Flag (The Boldest): Revolution Enacted Sixth Flag: Community Publishing Seventh Flag: The Educated Working-Class Women’s Group Eighth Flag: SWOMP Conclusion/The End of the Bunting Notes References Chapter 16 Finding a Voice: On Becoming a Working-Class Feminist Academic Thinking about Class Growing Up Working-Class On Being a Working-Class Feminist Academic References Notes on Contributors Index