Class boundaries in Europe : the Bourdieusian approach in perspective

Drawing inspiration from Pierre Bourdieu's social space theory, this book provides an unprecedent overview of class relations, covering topics such as class polarisation, cultural reproduction, political orientations, and globalisation. The book applies Bourdieusian social space approach to show how class boundaries have been maintained or transformed in different European countries. Based on quantiative data, it proposes a renewal of the analysis of distances, divides, and relations of domination between social classes, documenting objective and symbolic boundaries that form the basis of individuals' living and working conditions in 11 European countries. Focusing on transformations of wealth inequalities, education strategies, and European labour markets, the book examines the role of cultural, economic and social capital. It will be of interest to students and scholars across the social sciences, in particular to those studying social and wealth inequalities in a comparative perspective and Master's students in European studies.

Introduction: Thinking about class boundaries in Europe PART I: Social space and class polarisation 1 Stability, transformation, and escalation: Norwegian classes and class boundaries 2008-2020 2 Polarisation: Trends in class boundaries in Hungary 3 Social classes and their boundaries during Poland's "Golden Age" PART II: Questioning the cultural reproduction of class boundaries 4 The cultivation of the synthetic gentleman: Exploring horizontal boundaries within the British elite 5 Exploring class differences within occupational categories: The case of professionals in Athens, 1991-2011 6 Class formation and social reproduction strategies in the Portuguese construction industry: Elements for a relational sociological analysis PART III: Homology between class boundaries and political orientations 7 Class, confidence, and political conflicts in Denmark: Exploring social cleavages and political boundaries in a Nordic welfare society 8 The politicised class structure of German society (2009-2017) PART IV: Blind spots in the Bourdieusian approach 9 France: The dynamics of internal changes within a persistent class structure 10 Class boundaries in Spain: Intergenerational and regional changes in the wake of the 2008 economic crisis 11 Inequality in the hidden abode of production: Class and working conditions in Sweden, 1995-2015 12 On the borders of class analysis: Questioning the demarcation of economic activity PART V: Beyond nations? Social class and globalisation 13 Is happiness at work a class privilege? Subjective relationships to work and class boundaries in Europe 14 Elaborating class analysis on the European scale: The importance of British "non-domiciled" individuals