How Neo-Liberalism has Transformed France’s Symbolic Boundaries?

Citation:

Lamont, Michèle, and Nicolas Duvoux. 2014. “How Neo-Liberalism has Transformed France’s Symbolic Boundaries?” French Politics, Culture & Society 32 (2): 57-75. Copy at http://www.tinyurl.com/y52obalw

Abstract:

This paper considers changes in the symbolic boundaries of French society under the influence of neoliberalism. As compared to the early nineties, stronger boundaries toward the poor and Blacks are now being drawn while North-African immigrants and their offsprings continue to be largely perceived as outside the community of those who deserve recognition and protection. Moreover, while the social reproduction of upper-middle class privileges has largely remained unchanged, there is a blurring of the symbolic boundaries separating the middle and working class as the latter has undergone strong individualization. Also, the youth is now bearing the brunt of France’s non-adaptation to changes in the economy and is increasingly marginalized. The result is a dramatic change in the overall contours of the French symbolic community, with a narrowed definition of cultural membership, and this, against a background of growing inequality, unemployment, and intolerance in a more open and deregulated labor market.

Publisher's Version

Last updated on 11/19/2015