SOS9233 – New Directions in Research on Social Class
Course content
Social inequality currently gets a lot of attention, but sociologists appear less visible in discussions about inequality than what one would expect. Has this something to do with the understanding of class or the use of the class concept in research? Can the sociological research on this topic be improved? What is the contribution of sociology, or more specifically sociological class theory, for understanding inequality trends as well as changes, tensions, and political events in a number of countries? The course brings together scholars representing different perspectives in class analysis, in order to achieve discussions across the boundaries of these different approaches.
Learning outcome
After the course the participants will
- Understand major positions in recent contributions to class theory
- Be able to link these positions to approaches to class in the sociological tradition
- Have acquired knowledge about the relevance and variations in the meaning and importance of class across countries
- Understand differences between micro- and macro level approaches to class theory, and consequences of using these approaches in research
- Have developed ideas about how the class concept can be used in research in urban settings, and in studies of symbolic boundaries
- Understand how the concept of class can be used in their individual projects
Admission
Ph.D.-students at the Department of Sociology and Human Geography register for the course in Studentweb.
Participants outside the Department of Sociology and Human Geography shall fill out this application form.
The application deadline is 1st September 2017.
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
No requirements other than that the students have to be enrolled in a doctoral program.
Teaching
The course is arranged by Marianne Nordli Hansen, Professor of Sociology, University of Oslo, and Johannes Hjellbrekke, Professor of Sociology, University of Bergen. A number of prominent researchers contribute to the program (see the course schedule).
The course is going to be hold in Paris. Meet up at: Centre Universitaire de Norvège à Paris, CUNP Fondation Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, FMSH 54, Boulevard Raspail, 75006 Paris.
All titles are preliminary and must be confirmed upon confirmation of participation.
Schedule
Oct. 18th, EHES, Salle A-BS1-28: Class Analysis Revitalized.
Opening lecture:
10.00 - 10.10: Welcome and Introduction. Prof. Marianne Nordli Hansen, UiO.
10.10-10.30: The Norwegian University Center in Paris. Director, CUNP, Johs. Hjellbrekke
10.30-11.15: Prof. Mike Savage, LSE: Social Class in the 21st Century.
11.15 - 11.45: Comments and Questions
11.45-13.00: Lunch.
13.00-13.30: Social class and Social Closure. Prof. Marianne Nordli Hansen, UiO
13.30-13.45: Comments and Questions
13.45-14.15: Johs. Hjellbrekke, CUNP/FMSH: Social Class and Social Capital.
14.15 – 14.30: Comments and Questions.
14.30 – 15.00: TBA. Post. doc. Magne Flemmen, UiO
15.00-15.15: Comments and Questions.
15.15-15.30: Break
15.30-17.00: Paper Session 1
17.00-17.15: Break
17.15-18.15: Paper Session 2
Oct. 19th, EHES, Salle 33: Class, Culture and Social Closure
10.00-10.45: Philippe Coulangeon, Sciences Po: Social Class and Cultural Distinctions
10.45-11.15: Comments and Questions
11.15-11.45: Vegard Jarness: Social Class and Symbolic Boundaries.
11.45-12.00: Comments and Questions
12.00-13.15: Lunch
13.15-13.45: Jørn Ljunggren: Urban Segregation in a Nordic Capital
13.45-14.00: Comments and Questions
14.00-14.45: Marco Oberti, Sciences Po : The Urban Sociology of Social Class
14.45-15.15: Break
15.30-17.00: Paper Session 1
17.00-17.15: Break
17.15-18.15: Paper session 2
Oct. 20th, EHES, Salle A-BS1-28: Competing Approaches
10.00-10.45: Prof. Jan O. Jonsson. Univ of Stockholm/Oxford University Micro- vs. macro class approaches?
10.45-11.15: Comments and Questions
11.15-12.00: Daniel Oesch, Univ. of Lausanne. Horizontal and Vertical Class Divisions and Hierarchies. An Alternative Class Model.
12.00-12.30: Comments and Questions
12.30-13.00: Concluding discussion
13.00-14.00 Lunch
Reading list
Andersen, Patrick Lie & Hansen, Marianne Nordli (2012). Class and Cultural Capital-The Case of Class Inequality in Educational Performance . European Sociological Review. ISSN 0266-7215. 28(5), s 607- 621 . doi: 10.1093/esr/jcr029
COULANGEON P., LEMEL Y., “Is ‘distinction’ really outdated? Questioning the meaning of the omnivorization of musical taste in contemporary France”, Poetics, Volume 35, Issues 2-3, April-June 2007, pp. 93-111
Coulangeon, P. “Changing policies, challenging theories and persisting inequalities: Social disparities in cultural participation in France from 1981 to 2008”. Poetics, 41(2), 177-209, 2013
Flemmen, M.P., Toft. M., Andersen. P.L., Hansen. M.N.. and Ljunggren, J. (2017), Forms of Capital and Modes of Closure in Upper Class Reproduction, Sociology, http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0038038517706325
Flemmen, M. The Politics of the Service Class (2014), The homology of positions
and position-takings, European Societies, http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14616696.2013.817597
Flemmen, M, (2013), Putting Bourdieu to work for class analysis: reflections on
some recent contributions, British Journal of Sociology,
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1468-4446.12020/abstract
Hansen, Marianne Nordli (2014). Self-made wealth or family wealth? Changes in intergenerational wealth mobility. Social Forces. ISSN 0037-7732. 93(2), s 457- 481 . doi: 10.1093/sf/sou078
Jarness, V. (2017). Viewpoints and points of view: Situating symbolic boundaries in social space. European Societies, published online before print. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14616696.2017.1371317
Jarness, V. (2017). Cultural vs economic capital: Symbolic boundaries within the middle class. Sociology, 51(2), 357-373.
Jarness, V., & Friedman, S. (2017). 'I'm not a snob, but...': Class boundaries and the downplaying of difference. Poetics, 61, 14-25.
Jonsson, Grusky et al 2009: Microclass mobility
2009, Jan O. Jonsson, David B. Grusky, Matthew Di Carlo, Reinhard Pollak, and Mary C. Brinton “Micro-Class Mobility. Social Reproduction in Four Countries.” American Journal of Sociology 114: 977-1036.
Lamont, M. (1992). Money, morals, and manners: The culture of the French and American upper-middle class. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (Chapter 1, 7 and Appendices I and IV).
Lamont, M., & Molnar, V. (2002). The study of boundaries in the social sciences. Annual Review of Sociology, 28, 167-195.
Ljunggren, Jørn & Andersen, Patrick Lie (2015). Vertical and Horizontal Segregation: Spatial Class Divisions in Oslo, 1970–2003. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. ISSN 0309-1317. 39(2), s 305- 322 . doi: 10.1111/1468-2427.12167
Mood, C. (2017) More than Money: Social Class, Income, and the Intergenerational Persistence of Advantage, Sociological Science. https://www.sociologicalscience.com/articles-v4-12-263/
Mood, Jonsson, Bihagen (2012), Cognitive and noncognitive processes
2012, Carina Mood, Jan O. Jonsson, and Erik Bihagen. “Socioeconomic Persistence across Generations: Cognitive and Noncognitive Processes.” Chapter 3, pp. 53-83, in John Ermisch, Markus Jäntti, and Timothy Smeeding (eds.),From Parents to Children. The Intergenerational Transmission of Advantage. New York: Russell Sage.
Oberti, Marco (2007). « Social and School differentiation in urban space: inequalities and local configurations », Environment and Planning, volume 39, p. 208-227.
Oberti, Marco (2008). “The French Republican Model of Integration: the Theory of Cohesion and the Practice of Exclusion. New Directions for Youth Development: Theory, Practice, Research, Jossey-Bass Publishing (JBP),USA, Fall, p. 55-74.
Oesch , D. (2006), “Coming to grips with a changing class structure. An analysis of employment stratification in Britain, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland”, International Sociology 21 (2): 263-288.
http://people.unil.ch/danieloesch/files/2014/05/Oesch_International_Sociology.pdf
Oesch, D. (2012), “The Class Basis of the Cleavage between the New Left and the Radical Right: an analysis for Austria, Denmark, Norway and Switzerland”, in: Rydren, J. (ed.) Class Politics and the Radical Right, London: Routledge, 31-51.
http://people.unil.ch/danieloesch/files/2014/05/Oesch_2012_Cleavage_NewLeft_PopulistRight_Proofs_Routledge.pdf
Oesch, D. (2015), “Welfare regimes and change in the employment structure: Britain, Denmark and Germany since 1990”, Journal of European Social Policy 25 (1): 94-110
http://people.unil.ch/danieloesch/files/2014/05/Oesch_2015_WelfareRegimes_EmploymentStructure_FinalVersion.pdf
Savage, Mike (2014). Piketty’s challenge for sociology. British Journal of Sociology, 2014, Vol. 65, nr. 4, pp. 591-606.
Savage, Mike (2015). Social Class in the 21st. Century. Penguin. Chapter 4.
Savage, Mike (2016). “The fall and rise of class analysis in British sociology, 1950-2016.” LSE Research Online. http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/68676/
Toft, Maren & Ljunggren, Jørn (2016). Geographies of class advantage: The influence of adolescent neighbourhoods in Oslo. Urban Studies. ISSN 0042-0980. 53(14), s 2939- 2955 . doi: 10.1177/0042098015601770
Examination
Each participant is requested to submit a 200 word project description i) outlining their interest in the course ii) describing their own research. This need to be submitted two weeks before the start of the course, 4th October to katalin.godberg@sosgeo.uio.no.
The entire five-day event makes up the Ph.D.-course, with the equivalent of 6 credits (theory-credits for Ph.D.-students at the Department of Sociology and Human Geography). For approval, this includes writing a paper of minimum 4 000 words to be submitted by 10th Desember 2017. The paper will deal with some theme in the curriculum. The paper is to be sent to katalin.godberg@sosgeo.uio.no.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.