ABSTRACT
The term underclass is widely used in sociology, but definitions of what it consists of differ. In the chapter, we examine how underclass(es) and the way they supposedly behave are represented in a number of English-language press outlets, of differing political persuasions, in various countries, including the US, UK, India, Hong Kong, and China. Preliminary evidence suggests that the term is ‘weaponised’ and that one political side accuses the other of having created an underclass by its negative or negligent policies. In another example, Chinese authorities are criticised for having created the hukou, an ‘underclass’ of migrant workers (South China Morning Post).
