How the American Working Class Views the “Working Class”

Abstract

This article reviews the complications in understanding some of the conflicting tenets of American working-class ethos, especially as it unfolds in the college classroom. It asserts that the working class values modesty, straightforwardness, and hard work and has a difficult time accepting an ethos based in formal education. The article also discusses some of the performance aspects of working-class texts and explores the difficulties that outsiders face in trying to analyze/critique working-class experience.

Keywords

• class
• social class
• working class
• ethos
• identity
• habitus
• social capital
• Bourdieu