ABSTRACT
Sociological field theory is well equipped to unravel the interrelations between social inequalities and political attitudes because it argues that the structure of a political field is nested within the social space. This means that political cleavages within the field of European governance are embedded in the structures of social inequalities prevalent within Europe. In positional terms, it expects that people’s political attitudes are shaped by their social-structural positions and that their views thus reflect where and how they live. In relational terms, it assumes that divergent political attitudes also mirror social relations of inequality. Social inequalities not only entail objective relations of advantages and disadvantages, but these divisions also translate into subjectively perceived relations of superiority and inferiority. For the study of political cleavages, it matters how Europeans perceive social inequalities and whether they see Europe as a shared social space with relations of superiority and inferiority. Following field theory, it is assumed that citizens who consider themselves as less privileged when compared to other Europeans are inclined to develop political opinions that are more critical of the social situation in their country, the political work of their governments and the European Union.
