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In this book Jo Littler argues that meritocracy is the key cultural means of legitimation for contemporary neoliberal culture – and that whilst it promises opportunity, it in fact creates new forms of social division. Against Meritocracy is split into two parts. Part I explores the genealogies of meritocracy within social theory, political discourse and working cultures. It traces the dramatic U-turn in meritocracy’s meaning, from socialist slur to a contemporary ideal of how a society should be organised. Part II uses a series of case studies to analyse the cultural pull of popular ‘parables of progress’, from reality TV to the super-rich and celebrity CEOs, from social media controversies to the rise of the ‘mumpreneur’. Paying special attention to the role of gender, ‘race’ and class, this book provides new conceptualisations of the meaning of meritocracy in contemporary culture and society.

Media & Communications --- meritocracy --- social mobility --- neoliberalism --- upward mobility --- social inequality

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What do we know about the urban impoverished areas of the world and the living environment of its inhabitants? How did the urban poor cope with their surroundings? How did they interpret and adopt urban space in order to fight against their position at the periphery of society? This volume takes up these questions and investigates how far approaches of cultural sciences can contribute to overcome the 'exoticization of the ghetto' (Loïc Wacquant) and instead to look at the heterogeneity and individuality behind the facades. It opens new perspectives for the research of poverty and inequalities that do not stop at collective categories.

Sociology --- History --- Slum --- Poverty --- Space --- Culture --- Urbanity --- Social Inequality --- Urban Studies --- Social History --- Sociology

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Mitmachen, gestalten, sich für andere einsetzen - zivilgesellschaftliches Engagement hat viele Facetten. Und sie sind alle wichtig, denn die Beteiligung an der Bürgergesellschaft ist nicht zuletzt Beteiligung an der res publica. Die Form der Bürgergesellschaft hat sich in den letzten Jahren allerdings gewandelt: Informelle und flexible Aktivitäten werden gegenüber starren Mitgliedschaften bevorzugt. Doch ist bislang kaum versucht worden, die Perspektive sozial Benachteiligter einzunehmen. Dieses Buch beschäftigt sich daher mit der Teilhabe von Menschen mit geringem Einkommen und niedrigem Bildungsgrad an der modernen Bürgergesellschaft und zeigt: Auch hier gibt es zivilgesellschaftliches Engagement. Nur anders. (unter Mitarbeit von David Bebnowski, Oliver D'Antonio, Ivonne Kroll, Michael Lühmann, Felix M. Steiner und Christian Woltering)

Political Science --- Civil Society --- Politics --- Social Inequality --- Political Sociology --- Sociology --- Political Science

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Tafeln und ähnliche Initiativen sammeln die systematisch anfallenden Lebensmittelüberschüsse der Überflussgesellschaft, um sie wohltätig zu verteilen. Sie fügen sich damit in einen transnationalen Trend, der eine lokale Charity-Initiative innerhalb von vier Jahrzehnten zu einem global vernetzten Phänomen expandieren ließ. Stephan Lorenz zeigt, dass die Flexibilisierung der Überflussgesellschaft sowohl soziale Ausgrenzung und Polarisierung als auch die Übernutzung von Ressourcen verstärkt. Seine empirische Analyse gewährt Einblicke in die Etablierung eines zivilgesellschaftlichen Engagements, das weniger ein Beitrag zur Überwindung der Probleme ist als vielmehr ein Symptom ihrer Verfestigung.

Sociology --- Politics --- Social Inequality --- Civil Society --- Social Policy --- Politcal Science --- Sociology

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Public debates tend to see social inequality as resulting from individual decisions people make, for instance with respect to their education or lifestyle. Solutions are often sought in supporting individuals to make better choices. This neglects the importance of social groups and communities in determining individual outcomes. A moral perspective on social inequality questions the fairness of insisting on individual responsibilities, when members of some groups systematically receive fewer opportunities than others. The essays in this book have been prepared by experts from different disciplines, ranging from philosophy to engineering, and from economics to epidemiology. On the basis of recent scientific insights, World of Difference examines how group memberships impact on individual outcomes in four key domains: health, education and work, migration, and the environment. This offers a new moral perspective on social inequality, which policy makers tend to neglect.

Social inequality --- Morality --- Group-level processes --- Scientific perspective --- health --- education --- work --- environment --- migration