Liberty and Obligation: The Moral Lifeworlds of White Middle-Class Americans in Northeastern and Southern US
Year: 2022
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Jacob's research seeks to develop concepts and theories for understanding how social actors navigate complex moral issues such as welfare redistribution, family obligation, neighborhood commitment, and work ethics. How do white middle-class Americans define their moral obligations towards their fellow citizens, their community, and their extended family?To answer this question, I interviewed 45 white middle-class Americans.In continuation of the wish to challenge the image of an individualized white middle class in the singular, I sought to compare two cases of white middle-class Americans.Therefore, the interviewees were recruited from two culturally very different case cities that represent the cultural diversity between the American Northeast and the American South.The first case is the white middle class of Boston, Massachusetts, located in the morally liberal New England in the American Northeast.The second case is the white middle class of Knoxville, Tennessee, located in the more conservative American South.
Author: Jacob Didia-Hansen
Language: English
Topic: Social Capital and Networks
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Reduced inequalities
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4367183002