C + I, Topic 3

Question 1

What is social class?

Answer 1

A group of people who share a similar economic situation. Occupation, income and ownership of wealth. It affects one’s identity. And one’s life chances, the ability to obtain what is desirable.

Question 2

What is a Habitus?

Answer 2

Bourdieu spreaks of Habitus, the cultural framework one belongs to, one is socialized into. Habitus affects one’s tastes, choices and attitudes.
One acts according to the Habitus they were taught.

Question 3

What is Cultural Capital?

Answer 3

Those who were taught the Habiuts of the dominant class have Cultural Capital. This promotes one’s social mobility in a stratified society.

Question 4

Upper Class Subculture?

Answer 4

Traditional Royalty, old rich, owners of large businesses and industries and entertainment stars. Particular mannerism, way of speaking, butlers, chafs, nannies. Noveau Riche: people becoming wealth in their lifetime, try to fit in with old rich, but often fail as seen with lower taste.

Question 5

Middle Class Subculture?

Answer 5

Large subculture, non-manual labour, concerned with the future and importance of education.

1. Professionals, teachers and docters, eudcation- cultural capital
2. Managers, senior civil servants, big salaries and speanding
3. Finance and creative, adverstising
4. Small businesses and self-employed, individualistic and work obsessed.
5. White collar, lower middle class, clarks, secretaries,

Question 6

Working Class Subculture?

Answer 6

Traditional, largest, in decline, male dominated, solidarity, ship-building, construction, mining. Fold and popular culture. Hoggart find 3 attitudes: sense of fatalism, present orientation, immediate gratification.
New wc, start in ’60s, new industries, work not seen as part of identitiy, which are more focused on leisure ctivities.

Question 7

Is social class still important for forming identities?

Answer 7

Pomos aruge it is no longer important as consumer culture plays a much more important role. In addition lifestle choices have a big effect on identity, not sc.
Marxists disagree, stating sc is a major limitation in portraying the identity one desires. Sc also affects one’s educational successes, life expecatnacy and life chances.

Question 8

Underclass?

Answer 8

according to Murray, the underclass is a subculture formed by illegitimate children, druge users, criminals, which contibute little to society. Matrxists argue it is part of the sc hierarchy, just at the bottom.