Holding the Middle Ground? Middle Classes in Transformation Contexts Between Resignation and Radicalization

In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in the middle class worldwide, marked by a distinct departure from previous approaches. Rather than taking the middle class as a given, its existence is now being problematized, with a shift from structural to ideational and ethnographic perspectives. This panel seeks to contribute to these recent debates and advance the current research agenda. It will explore the ambivalent role of the middle class in transformation contexts, situated between resignation and collective action, accommodation and radicalization, consumerism and idealism. The panel will shed light on regional commonalities as well as differences, encompassing both recent developments in middle-class behavior and mobilization, as well as long-term patterns of structural and ideational integration. The focus will be on the macro level of shared identities, narratives, and ideologies. Additionally, it will explore how material and ideational factors interact to constitute the middle class as a social fact, and how conceptions of the middle class relate to principles of modernization, equality, justice, and freedom.
Among the possible questions to be addressed are the following:
- What is the political role of the middle class in increasingly polarized social contexts? Is it a reactionary force, as some observers believe, or a stabilizing factor?
- What are the narrative patterns that constitute middle-class identities? What are the historical continuities and potential contradictions within these narratives?
- How do middle-class identities relate to social practices? Beyond consumption, how do (aspiring) middle-class members seek to differentiate themselves socially?
- How are the middle classes mobilized? What are the patterns of collective action and political engagement within the middle class? What typically triggers middle-class protests?