engleski

Symbolic boundaries as an analytical tool for exploring middle classes in Africa

The rise of the African middle class has recently caught attention of ever growing number of social scientists working on topics of democratization, civil society, and in the field of development studies. For economists, middle class has been seen as an engine of growth and a foundation for further economic progress by driving consumption and domestic demand, while for political scientists it represented the backbone of a democratic society. However, even though many positive outcomes are expected from the middle class in Africa, some important questions were left unanswered. How do middle class members construct their identity? What are their values and how do these values come about through the process of social interaction? Which meaning do they attach to the typical middle class symbols known from other research contexts, and how does this correspond with the way they assess people around them? Even though it is believed that middle classes in Africa would support progressive but moderate political platforms, and enhance active participation in the political process, the real potential of political and social mobilization of this group remains unclear. Should we assume that in terms of political attitudes, lifestyles and identities the African middle classes form groups, or mere social categories? The question of internal boundaries (horizontal distinctions between different middle class fractions) and external boundaries (how do they relate to the ones below them, i.e. the poor, and the ones above them, i.e. the elites, as a basis for social solidarity) may play a key role in predicting the shape of future social coalitions. In this paper I argue that the perspective of symbolic boundaries, as well as a set of analytical tools related to the new cultural sociology, offer important advancement to our understanding of political and social reality in contemporary African societies.

symbolic boundaries, African middle class

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