ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the relationings between “elites” and the “people” on the basis of two examples, which, though disparate, have a common denominator in the figure of the “class transitioner”. It argues that when positive reference is made to the common people, an anti-elitist imaginary is articulated that can contribute to the analytical understanding of social positions and positionings. These are grounded in structural preconditions, but, at the same time, are also negotiated and set in relation to one another in specific situations. Both examples furthermore illustrate the historical–political contexts of discourse of their time: the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1980s and the USA in the year of the 2016 presidential election.
