Class, Individualization and Late Modernity: In Search of the Reflexive Worker (Identity Studies in the Social Sciences)

As the twentieth century drew to a close the sociology of class came under sustained attack. Within this assault, one strand of thought has stood out as particularly bold, wide-ranging and influential: that putting reflexivity, whether attached to theorizations of individualization or late modernity, at the core of the current social order. This book seeks to put this audacious perspective to the test. Going far beyond the responses so far elicited from researchers of class, Will Atkinson deploys conceptual precision and original qualitative research to fully assess the fate of class in contemporary society. Digging deep into the educational experiences, work histories, lifestyles, perceptions and politics of the participants, Atkinson reveals reflexivity to be absent or, at best, a superficial interpretation of classed social processes. Ultimately, though a new social climate leads them to produce novel outcomes, class differences and inequalities persist as stubbornly as ever.

Author: Will Atkinson

Language: English

Edition: 1

Binding: Hardcover

Pages: 272

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Publication Date: 2010-11-15