1. Abstracts.
- Subjects
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SOCIAL classes , *SOCIAL status , *LIFESTYLES , *POPULAR culture , *SOCIOLOGY - Abstract
The article presents abstracts of papers published in the July 2002 issue of the journal "Current Sociology." A discussion of Poor Chic, or an array of fads and fashions in popular culture that make recreational or stylish "fun" of poverty, or of traditional symbols of working class and underclass statuses, challenges the reductionism of the view that "lifestyle" consumption has displaced consumption as a means of expressing social status. It is argued that the multiplicity of symbols involved in Poor Chic collectively represent lower class status and have referents in the material realities of poverty. Using numerous examples of Poor Chic in the United States and internationally since the 1980s, this article shows how the rational consumption of poverty symbols distinguishes class boundaries between the wealthy and the poor. Quantitative cross-national analysis (CNA) is one of the most frequently used research methods in empirical sociology, particularly in research on developing countries. Its frequent application implies that CNA is a useful instrument that yields trustworthy result.
- Published
- 2002