ABSTRACT
The narrative of the global middle class presented by economic journals, marketing organisations and optimistic economists depicts the middle class as a homogeneous group acting as “the” driver of change with regard to development and democratisation. This view simplifies the much more nuanced reality. First, it is questionable whether the so-called middle class is a class according to sociological theory. Secondly, we need to consider the wide-ranging socio-cultural diversity of the middle-income stratum. Besides a critical analysis of the understanding of class, and using the case of Kenya as an example, this article presents the conceptual model of “milieus” which can help to depict the socio-cultural diversity of the middle-income stratum.
