Abstract
This response piece is informed by recent public discussions concerning the BBC ‘Great British
Class Calculator’ – a survey which seeks to rethink traditional ways of categorising class for
the 21st century. This article focuses on how individuals feel about, and respond to, their class
location. Drawing on data from a two-year study about the black middle classes, it is argued that
class identity cannot be fully understood without taking account of the intersecting role of race.
Specifically, exposing how white identity and white racial knowledge work to inform and protect
the boundaries of middle class and elite class positions (to the disadvantage of minoritised groups)
remains central to advancing race equity and genuine social mobility.
Class Calculator’ – a survey which seeks to rethink traditional ways of categorising class for
the 21st century. This article focuses on how individuals feel about, and respond to, their class
location. Drawing on data from a two-year study about the black middle classes, it is argued that
class identity cannot be fully understood without taking account of the intersecting role of race.
Specifically, exposing how white identity and white racial knowledge work to inform and protect
the boundaries of middle class and elite class positions (to the disadvantage of minoritised groups)
remains central to advancing race equity and genuine social mobility.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 445-451 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Sociology |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 14 Mar 2014 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jun 2014 |
Keywords
- black middle classes
- Bourdieu
- intersectionality
- white middle classes
- whiteness