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9699 · 1.3

Social identity and change

9699 — social identity, class, gender, ethnicity, age, and how identities shift over time.

Need to know

What you need to know

  • Traditional class identity was rooted in occupation and production (e.g., manual vs. non-manual).
  • De-industrialisation has fragmented traditional working-class identity.
  • Postmodernists highlight the rise of consumer culture and lifestyle in shaping class identity.
  • Bourdieu's concept of 'cultural capital' shows how class background continues to shape tastes and choices.
  • Class identity is now seen as a negotiation between structural factors and individual consumption choices.

Explanation

Social identity and change

  1. Traditional class identity was rooted in occupation and production (e.g., manual vs. non-manual).
  2. De-industrialisation has fragmented traditional working-class identity.
  3. Postmodernists highlight the rise of consumer culture and lifestyle in shaping class identity.
  4. Bourdieu's concept of 'cultural capital' shows how class background continues to shape tastes and choices.