Class, Individualization and Late Modernity

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 of putting reflexivity, whether attached to theorizations of individualization or late modern [...]
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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 of 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.