Class in Australia interrogates the position of class as an explanatory concept and investigates the current state and future of class analysis in Australia by bringing together a range of new and original research on inequality and class. Two decades since it was claimed that class is dead, social, economic and cultural inequalities are rising. Though Australia is often described as a 'lucky country' with a strong economy, we are witness to intensifying inequality with entrenched poverty and the growth of precarious and insecure labour. The disassociation of the rusted-on Labor voter and the rise of far-right politics suggest there is an urgent need to examine the contemporary functions of class relations. Class analysis in Australia has always had a contested position. The prominence of scholarship from the UK and US has often meant class analysis in Australia has had little to say about its settler colonial history and the past and present dynamics of race and racism that are deeply embedded in social and labour relations. In the post-war turn away from Marx and subsequent embrace of Bourdieu, much sociological research on class has focused on explorations of consumption and culture. Long-standing feminist critiques of the absence of gendered labour in class analysis also pose challenges for understanding and researching class. At a time of deepening inequality, Class in Australia is a timely examination of class relations, labour exploitation, and the changing formations of work in contemporary Australian society. 'From colonial inequality to Upper Middle Bogan, this captivating volume dives deep into how class has shaped our nation. Through studies of the unemployed, warehouse workers, unions and school students, this book presents the finest analysis of class that Australian sociology has to offer. Read it to get a richer understanding of poverty, a stronger sense of social status, and a nuanced analysis of how gender, race and sexuality intersect with class.' -- Andrew Leigh MP 'This is a must-read collection for anyone interested in the topic of class in Australia. This collection digs deeps and engages with relevant and timely discussions about class using both an historical and contemporary lens. For anyone who is teaching, studying, or writing about class as theory or method, this book will open up rich and productive conversations. Class is an enduring problematic, both as a descriptor, heuristic device or theoretical framework. This collection aptly responds to this problematic, engaging with class across multiple intersections including gender, race and space. It taps into class as symbolic and ephemeral whilst also highlighting the material, tangible divisions that it produces.' -- Dr. Emma Rowe, Senior Lecturer in Education, Deakin University

Examines the history and membership of each class, and the determinants of class. Examines the defection of the working class from the ALP, and the dissatisfaction of the middle class with both major parties. Provides profiles of individuals, bibliography and index.

Collection of essays which describe and examine the consequences of the Australian class structure. The findings and observations of the authors are based on their 1986 national survey of the Australian workforce.

This book re-evaluates New Left and Marxist texts from the 1980s, in order to explore problems facing the study of ‘class’ which have emerged within Australian and international theories. The author contrasts the popular ideas of Connell, Bourdieu and the ‘Death of Class’ thesis, with those of lesser known texts, concluding that no single definition can account for the various historical meanings of class. Instead, loosely following Castoriadis, the concept of class can best be understood as creatively imagined and institutionalised. Paternoster proposes that class is best studied through historical phenomenology, which can be used to link political economy, cultural sociology and anthropological ethnographies. This approach allows the contributions of Marxist and New Left authors to be reintegrated with contemporary theories. Doing so highlights the significance of labour populism, while cautioning against the ahistorical applications of texts such as Bourdieu’s Distinction. Reimagining Class in Australia will be of interest to students and scholars across a range of disciplines, including sociology, history, political economy and anthropology.

Drawing on expressive and material culture, Young shows that money was not enough to make the genteel middle class. It required exquisite self-control and the right cultural capital to perform ritual etiquette and present oneself confidently, yet modestly. She argues that genteel culture was not merely derivative, but a re-working of aristocratic standards in the context of the middle class necessity to work. Visible throughout the English-speaking world in the 1780s -1830s and onward, genteel culture reveals continuities often obscured by studies based entirely on national frameworks.

Ethnicity, Class and Gender in Australia is a major study of the impact of immigration on Australian society, and of the fragmentation that has developed along ethnic, class and gender lines. Rather than thumbnail sketches of ethnic groups or celebrations of multiculturalism, it offers detailed critiques of policy and practice, backed up by evidence from the experiences and research of the authors. This book confronts issues crucial to all Australians: the increasing fragmentation of the workforce; the class, gender and origin-based inequalities present in an 'egalitarian' country; and the ideologies, from racism to multiculturalism, designed to mask these inequalities. The authors also point to evidence of growing resistance to the status quo, and strategies for working towards a more genuine equality - to more positive education programmes, to political action at the workplace and beyond. The aim is to broaden readers' understanding of Australian society by including those who are so often omitted from analysis of that society.

The Routledge International Handbook of Race, Class, and Gender chronicles the development, growth, history, impact, and future direction of race, gender, and class studies from a multidisciplinary perspective. The research in this subfield has been wide-ranging, including works in sociology, gender studies, anthropology, political science, social policy, history, and public health. As a result, the interdisciplinary nature of race, gender, and class and its ability to reach a large audience has been part of its appeal. The Handbook provides clear and informative essays by experts from a variety of disciplines, addressing the diverse and broad-based impact of race, gender, and class studies. The Handbook is aimed at undergraduate and graduate students who are looking for a basic history, overview of key themes, and future directions for the study of the intersection of race, class, and gender. Scholars new to the area will also find the Handbook’s approach useful. The areas covered and the accompanying references will provide readers with extensive opportunities to engage in future research in the area.