From the Middle to the Middle Class: How do the “new middle class” and the “traditional middle class” perceive their social status?

Authors

  • André Salata PUCRS
  • Celi Scalon UFRJ

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4013/csu.2015.51.3.14

Abstract

The paper aims to bring new elements to the current debate about the middle class in Brazil, taking the class identities and perceptions about middle class as its object. In recent years a huge number of individuals and families achieved intermediate levels of income and joined the middle layer of the population. We analyze the perceptions of those individuals about their social position – seeking to establish a comparison with the perception present among the “traditional middle class” – using data collected through semi-structured interviews. The analyzes show that individuals of intermediate socioeconomic profile do not seem to be the ones who more typically identify themselves as middle class; it was only among respondents of “traditional middle class” that we observed a clear and obvious identification with that class. These results show some of the limitations of the concept of ‘new middle class’ currently applied to Brazil.

Keywords: middle class, class identities, social stratification, social inequalities, social classifications.

Author Biographies

André Salata, PUCRS

Professor adjunto do Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Sociais da PUCRS. Possui mestrado e doutorado em Sociologia pelo Programa de Pós Graduação em Sociologia e Antropologia da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Durante o doutorado foi "Academic Visitor" por um ano na University of Oxford, UK (2012-2013), com bolsa do CNPq. Trabalhou como assistente de pesquisa do INCT Observatório das Metrópoles. Tem experiência na área de Sociologia, com ênfase em Estratificação Social e Desigualdades, atuando principalmente com metodologia quantitativa. Nos últimos anos tem estudado a chamada Nova Classe Média Brasileira.

Celi Scalon, UFRJ

Professora titular da UFRJ, coordenadora da área de Sociologia e Ciências Sociais na CAPES, membro do comitê executivo da International Sociological Association (ISA). No período 2009-2011 foi presidente da Sociedade Brasileira de Sociologia e entre 2007-2009 secretária-geral desta mesma associação. Tem doutorado em Sociologia pelo IUPERJ e suas áreas de pesquisa são: Desigualdade e Estratificação, com foco em classes sociais, renda, políticas públicas e metodologia de pesquisa. É, ainda, membro do corpo editorial da revista Sociologies in Dialogue, secretary-treasurer do RC07 (Futures Research) da ISA, membro do international board da revista Research on Social Stratification and Mobility (RSSM/RC28). 

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Published

2015-11-03

Issue

Vol. 51 No. 3 (2015): September/December

Section

Articles

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