Consumption, Social Status and Distinction Among Working Class Families

The present ethnography seeks to understand the role of consumption in the construction and maintenance of the cultural identity of urban lower classes. It was observed the existence of three different sub-classes whose structural differences are mainly generated by different combinations in the scope Economic, Cultural and Social Capital. Such differentiation becomes apparent in the possession of consumer goods and in distinctive social practices. Results show that consumption is a key element in the formation of social identity in the urban poorer class, being a powerful inter-classes distinctive mechanism, in spite of its incapacity of removing well-established social barriers.



Citation:

Rodrigo Castilhos and Carlos Rossi (2008) ,"Consumption, Social Status and Distinction Among Working Class Families", in LA - Latin American Advances in Consumer Research Volume 2, eds. Claudia R. Acevedo, Jose Mauro C. Hernandez, and Tina M. Lowrey, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 174-175.

Authors

Rodrigo Castilhos, FISUL, Brazil
Carlos Rossi, UFRGS, Brazil



Volume

LA - Latin American Advances in Consumer Research Volume 2 | 2008



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