Lange / Meier The New Middle Classes

Globalizing Lifestyles, Consumerism and Environmental Concern
1. Auflage 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4020-9938-0
Verlag: Springer Netherlands
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 309 Seiten

With respect to the developing and threshold economies, it is no longer the poor who are the only focus of media attention. Today, the new middle classes are about to take centre stage, too. With their lifestyles and attitudes, the new middle classes are considered to be both the products as well as the promoters of globalization. They are a highly heterogeneousgroup in socio-economicterms as well as in habits 1 and preferences, including their societal role as consumers and citizens. The ?rst wave of scholarly and political attention can be traced back to the mid-nineties. The focal point was surprise and unease about indubitable symptoms of consumerism which, until then had been seen as a characteristic of the richest western societies. However, since the nineties, consumerism has run rampant in - velopingcountriestoo.Thishasparticularlybeennotedwithrespecttotheemerging middle classes in South East Asia. The 'will to consume seemed inexhaustible, and appetites insatiable. This rage to consume [...] was both celebrated and feared by political leadersand other social/moralgatekeepers,who beganto condemnthe p- cess as 'Westernization' and even 'westoxi?cation'' (Chua 2000: xii). Ever since, the debate about the lifestyles of the new middle classes and their role in society has gained momentum.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Meier, Lars

Lange, Hellmuth

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Preface;5
2;Acknowledgements;7
3;Contents;8
4;List of Figures;10
5;List of Tables;12
6;About the Authors;13
7;1 Who are the New Middle Classes and why are they Given so Much Public Attention?;17
7.1;1.1 The New Middle Classes A Contested Issue in Public Debate;17
7.2;1.2 Who are the New Middle Classes?;22
7.2.1;1.2.1 The New Middle Classes -- A Classical Issue;22
7.2.2;1.2.2 The Emerging New Middle Classes in Developing Countries;24
7.2.3;1.2.3 How to Assess Empirically Size and Structure of the New Middle Classes?;26
7.3;1.3 The New Middle Classes A Proxy for Controversial Assessments of Globalization;28
7.4;1.4 Connecting Individual Environmental Awareness and Society;32
7.4.1;1.4.1 Northern Environmental Awareness vs. Southern Environmentalism of the Poor?;33
7.4.2;1.4.2 Civil Society and Reflexive Modernization;36
7.5;References;38
8;Part I Modernities, Globalization and Consumption;43
9;2 Convergence and Divergence in Societal Modernization: Global trends, Regional Variations, and Some Implications for Sustainability;44
9.1;2.1 Introduction;44
9.2;2.2 Modern Society in a Differentiation Theoretical Perspective;46
9.3;2.3 The Multiple Modernities Paradigm;49
9.4;2.4 Global Modernization, Regional Variety;53
9.5;2.5 Conclusion;59
9.6;References;60
10;3 Consumerist Lifestyles in the Context of Globalization: Investigating Scenarios of Homogenization, Diversification and Hybridization;63
10.1;3.1 Complex Connectivities;63
10.2;3.2 Framing the Cultural Dimension of Globalization;65
10.2.1;3.2.1 Time-Space Relations -- A Pivot of Cultural Globalization Debate;66
10.2.2;3.2.2 Organizational Features and Concepts of Culture;67
10.2.2.1;3.2.2.1 Concepts of Culture;69
10.3;3.3 Paradigms of Cultural Globalization;69
10.3.1;3.3.1 Homogenization;70
10.3.2;3.3.2 Diversification;72
10.3.3;3.3.3 Hybridization;74
10.4;3.4 A Deliberate Integration of Views;76
10.5;References;77
11;4 Who are the Globalizers? The Role of Education and Educational Elites;79
11.1;4.1 Introduction;79
11.2;4.2 Unequal Globalization?;81
11.3;4.3 Cosmopolitan Attitudes;86
11.4;4.4 Conclusion;89
11.5;4.5 Appendix: Construction of the Transnationality Index;91
11.6;References;92
12;5 Provider Strategies and the Greening of Consumption Practices: Exploring the Role of Companies in Sustainable Consumption;94
12.1;5.1 Introduction;94
12.2;5.2 Outline of the Argument;96
12.3;5.3 Why Looking at Environmental Impacts of Consumption?;97
12.4;5.4 Direct and Indirect Environmental Impacts and the Relative Power of the Citizen-Consumer in Production-Consumption Chains;98
12.5;5.5 Provider Strategies for Developing Green Offer;100
12.5.1;5.5.1 Involvement in ''Cleaner Production'' Strategies;101
12.5.2;5.5.2 Involvement in Product Policy Strategies;101
12.5.3;5.5.3 Involvement in Corporate Social Responsibility Strategies;102
12.6;5.6 Consumer Orientation Within Provider Strategies;103
12.6.1;5.6.1 Information and Presentation Strategies;105
12.6.2;5.6.2 The Socio-Cultural Dimension of Consumer Oriented Strategies;107
12.7;5.7 Extending the Analysis to Non-OECD Countries and Their Developing New Middle Classes;108
12.7.1;5.7.1 Globalizing Companies, Globalizing Publics;109
12.7.2;5.7.2 Green Consumer Orientations in Different Regions of the World;110
12.8;References;111
13;6 From Small Objects to Cars: Consumption Expansion in East Asia;114
13.1;6.1 Visual Environment;116
13.2;6.2 Four Levels of Consumption;117
13.2.1;6.2.1 Small Objects: Modernity as Adornment;117
13.2.2;6.2.2 Television: East Asian Cultural References;118
13.2.3;6.2.3 Primacy of Home/Family Consumption;119
13.2.4;6.2.4 Cars;121
13.3;6.3 Not Yet Middle Class;121
13.4;6.4 Consumerism as State Project;123
13.5;6.5 Sustainability;124
13.6;References;127
14;Part II New Middle Classes in China, Brazil, Ecuador and Israel;129
15;7 Rising Capitalism, Emerging Middle-Classes and Environmental Perspectives in China: A Weberian Approach;130
15.1;7.1 Introduction;130
15.2;7.2 Beyond Reductionism: A Weberian Analysis of Chinas Economic Success;131
15.3;7.3 Socio-Economic Changes and Cultural Factors;135
15.4;7.4 The Chinese Middle Class Between Consumerism and Traditional Values;140
15.5;7.5 Taming the Dragon: Prospects of Environmental Progress in China and the Role of the Middle-Class;145
15.6;References;148
16;8 Globalization of Lifestyle: Golfing in China;154
16.1;8.1 Introduction;154
16.2;8.2 Hierarchy of Needs, Lifestyle, Conspicuous Consumption and Golf;157
16.2.1;8.2.1 Lifestyle and Conspicuous Consumption;157
16.2.2;8.2.2 Conspicuous Consumption and Golf;159
16.3;8.3 Golfing Development as Part of the Lifestyle in China;161
16.3.1;8.3.1 Leisure and Sport;162
16.3.2;8.3.2 Investment and Conducting Business;162
16.3.3;8.3.3 Acquiring Status;163
16.3.4;8.3.4 Promotion by Public Media and Tourism Industry;163
16.3.5;8.3.5 Golfing and its Impacts on the Environment and Society;164
16.4;8.4 Final Remarks;164
16.5;References;167
17;9 Who are the Knowledge Workers of Campinas, SP, Brazil and how do they Live? Local Impacts of Global Trends;170
17.1;9.1 Introduction;170
17.2;9.2 Identifying Knowledge Workers;172
17.2.1;9.2.1 Within Which Professions are Knowledge Workers Operating in Campinas?;177
17.2.2;9.2.2 Consumption;181
17.3;9.3 Conclusions;183
17.4;References;186
18;10 Sustainability of a Life M0s C0modo? Agricultural Change, Remaking Families, and the Emerging Indigenous Middle Class in the Ecuadorian Andes;187
18.1;10.1 Introduction: An Embarrassment of Riches?;187
18.2;10.2 Background: Village Wealth and Poverty;190
18.3;10.3 The Rising Costs of a More Comfortable (Ms Comodo) Life: Changing Lifeways and the Pressures of Development;193
18.4;10.4 Agricultural Lives, the Indigenous Middle Class Identities, and the Dolarizacon del Maizal;196
18.5;10.5 Middle Class Maneuvers: The Commodification of Status in Jatundeleg;200
18.6;10.6 Conclusion: Migration and the Pain of Dollars;203
18.7;References;205
19;11 New Middle Class and Environmental Lifestyle in Israel;206
19.1;11.1 Introduction;206
19.2;11.2 Environmentalism in Israel;208
19.3;11.3 Social Structures and Environmental Lifestyle;209
19.3.1;11.3.1 The Correlates of Environmental Attitudes and Behavior;209
19.3.2;11.3.2 The Broadening Base Hypothesis;210
19.4;11.4 Research on the New Middle Class;211
19.4.1;11.4.1 New Class vs. Old Class;212
19.4.2;11.4.2 G'veli's New Class Scheme;213
19.5;11.5 Hypotheses;213
19.6;11.6 Data;214
19.7;11.7 Variables;214
19.7.1;11.7.1 Independent Variables;214
19.7.2;11.7.2 Dependent Variables;216
19.8;11.8 Results;216
19.9;11.9 Discussion;220
19.10;References;221
20;Part III New Middle Classes in India;225
21;12 The Political Economy of Lifestyle: Consumption, India0s New Middle Class and State-Led Development;226
21.1;12.1 Conceptual Questions: The Middle Classes and Consumption in India;228
21.2;12.2 Indias New Developmental Regime: The New Middle Class and the Politics of Lifestyle;233
21.3;12.3 Political Responses and Internal Fractures Within the Middle Classes;235
21.4;12.4 From Internal Fractures to the Possibility of Cross-Class Alliances;238
21.5;12.5 Conclusion: Sustainability and Indias New Middle Class;240
21.6;References;241
22;13 0Environmentality0 in the Neoliberal City: Attitudes, Governance and Social Justice;244
22.1;13.1 Introduction;244
22.2;13.2 Environmentality;245
22.2.1;13.2.1 Agrawal''s ''Environmentality'' in the Urban Context;248
22.3;13.3 (Environmental) Politics, the Middle Classes and Civil Society;250
22.4;13.4 Case study: Bhagidari;252
22.5;13.5 Conclusions;255
22.6;References;257
23;14 India0s 0New Middle Class0 and the Globalising City: Software Professionals in Bangalore, India;259
23.1;14.1 Environmentalism and the Indian Middle Class;260
23.2;14.2 Consumption and the New Middle Class;261
23.3;14.3 Worker-Consumers of the New Economy;263
23.4;14.4 The New India and Middle Class Consciousness;267
23.5;14.5 Globalizing the City: The IT Industrys Bangalore;268
23.6;14.6 The Middle Class and the Urban Environment;270
23.7;14.7 Concluding Thoughts;272
23.8;References;273
24;15 The Changing Food Scenario and the Middle Classes in the Emerging Megacity of Hyderabad, India;275
24.1;15.1 Introduction;275
24.2;15.2 Trends in the Food Retail and Provision System of Hyderabad;276
24.3;15.3 Changing Food Purchasing and Dietary Patterns among Hyderabads Middle Classes;278
24.4;15.4 Health Issues;282
24.5;15.5 The Issue of Localising Sustainable Food Practises;283
24.6;References;285
25;16 Highly Qualified Employees in Bangalore, India: Consumerist Predators?;287
25.1;16.1 Introduction;287
25.2;16.2 Conceptual and Theoretical Framework;288
25.2.1;16.2.1 How Relevant are National Varieties of Modernization?;288
25.2.2;16.2.2 How Homogeneous or Heterogeneous are the ''New Middle Classes''?;289
25.2.3;16.2.3 Is Globalization Restricted to ''Bad Habits''?;291
25.2.4;16.2.4 Assumptions;292
25.3;16.3 Empirical Findings;294
25.3.1;16.3.1 Consumerism;294
25.3.2;16.3.2 Social and Environmental Responsibility;297
25.4;16.4 Summary and Conclusions;298
25.5;References;302
26;Index;305