ABSTRACT
The majority of national authors mention three areas of debate: the question of whether poverty and social exclusion are both multifaceted phenomena, whether they concern a situation or a process, and whether or not the terms poverty and social exclusion refer to different paradigms. In defining the notion of social differentiation, we must go back to a number of conceptual building blocks of social reality. In contemporary Western society, the aforementioned characteristics–such as age or height or colour of hair–will not lead to social inequality, while others–such as education or income or skin colour–will be significant in this respect. Some interpretations of the 'culture of poverty' hypothesis could also be regarded as an illustration of social fragmentation. By unravelling the complex threads of poverty we will be better prepared to launch a broad social and academic debate.
