Middle Class Identities and Social Crisis: Cultural and Political Perspectives on the ‘Global Rebellion’

Description

This book explores the dynamics of the "middle-class global rebellion" born of the frustration at declining living standards. Addressing narratives constructed by different social and political agents and groups, it examines contexts of social crisis in Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania, understanding the middle classes as a set of complex and conflicting political relationships. With attention to the manner in which people create "situated habits", consolidating new expectations and desires through a concrete biography, it analyzes continuities and changes in classed self-perceptions based on performative use. With new perspectives, including historical and intersectional approaches, Middle Class Identities and Social Crisis transcends disciplinary boundaries to explore the hybridity of research methods and techniques and challenge established analytical frameworks. It will therefore appeal to scholars across the social sciences with interests in class and questions of class identity. Introduction. Configuring the Middle Class Alejandro Grimson, Menara Guizardi, and Silvina Merenson Unequal and Divided: The Middle Classes in Contemporary Brazil Sérgio Costa Middle Sectors and Classes in Colombia: Confluences and Contrasts between Bogota and Tumaco Eduardo Restrepo Middle-Class Political and Cultural Subjectivities in the Chilean Social Outburst: Meritocracy, Social Justice, and Malaise María-Luisa Méndez and Modesto Gayo The Middle Classes in Bolivia: "Not a Good Idea"? Amaru Villanueva Rance, Eduardo Paz Gonzales, and Susanna Rance The Russian Middle Class: A Sociological Observation Jouko Nikula, Mikhail Chernysh, and Harri Melin The Middle Class in Portugal and Brazil: From Consent to Rebellion (2011-2013) Elísio Estanque Political Struggles and the Transformation of the Conservative Middle Class in Turkey Aksu Akçaoğlu Searching for a Global Middle Class in Nairobi and Berlin Gunter Weidenhaus and Eva Korte Surveillance and the Selva? Digital Middle-Class Identities in Angola and across the South Atlantic Jess Auerbach The Malaise of the Chinese Middle Class Jean-Louis Rocca 'Middle-class' Educational Strategies and Right-wing Politics in Australia: From Conflict to Consensus? Joel Windle