ABSTRACT
Drawing inspiration from Pierre Bourdieu’s social space theory, this book provides an unprecedent overview of class relations, covering topics such as class polarisation, cultural reproduction, political orientations, and globalisation.
The book applies Bourdieusian social space approach to show how class boundaries have been maintained or transformed in different European countries. Based on quantiative data, it proposes a renewal of the analysis of distances, divides, and relations of domination between social classes, documenting objective and symbolic boundaries that form the basis of individuals’ living and working conditions in 11 European countries.
Focusing on transformations of wealth inequalities, education strategies, and European labour markets, the book examines the role of cultural, economic and social capital. It will be of interest to students and scholars across the social sciences, in particular to those studying social and wealth inequalities in a comparative perspective and Master's students in European studies.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|55 pages
Social space and class polarisation
chapter Chapter 1|16 pages
Stability, transformation, and escalation
part II|64 pages
Questioning the cultural reproduction of class boundaries
chapter Chapter 4|23 pages
The cultivation of the synthetic gentleman
chapter Chapter 5|18 pages
Exploring class differences within occupational categories
chapter Chapter 6|21 pages
Class formation and social reproduction strategies in the Portuguese construction industry
part III|45 pages
Homology between class boundaries and political orientations
chapter Chapter 7|20 pages
Class, confidence, and political conflicts in Denmark
part IV|71 pages
Blind spots in the Bourdieusian approach
chapter Chapter 9|18 pages
France
chapter Chapter 10|17 pages
Class boundaries in Spain
chapter Chapter 11|16 pages
Inequality in the hidden abode of production
chapter Chapter 12|18 pages
On the borders of class analysis
part V|37 pages
Beyond nations? Social class and globalisation