Date: Saturday, August 9

Time: 8:30 AM - 10:10 AM

Session 037: Mobility, Affluence, and the Aspirational Class in a Time of Crises
Room: Spire Parlor

Sponsor: Poverty, Class, and Inequality

Organizer, Presider &

Discussant: Judith R. Halasz, SUNY New Paltz

Description: 

In a historical moment of numerous crises including high inflation, widespread gentrification, unaffordable housing, overtourism, pandemic and AI-fueled employment shifts, mass migration, and attacks on democracy, understanding the effects of inequality and contemporary class dynamics demands research on both poverty and privilege. Complementing sessions on poverty, class, and inequality, this panel provides an opportunity to share research on affluence, mobility, and the aspirational class. What roles do affluence and mobility play in current crises? Focusing on elite spaces and gentrification, precarious privilege and work, and educational institutions, these papers examine how the affluent use their resources and status to influence communities, culture, and social institutions; view themselves, their status, and their role in inequality; and influence aspirational behavior and attitudes.

Papers:

“The Spread of Elite and Aspirational Spaces as a Spillover Effect of Super-gentrification,” Judith R. Halasz, SUNY New Paltz

“The Limits of Co-Ethnic Solidarity: The Role of Elite Ethnic Organizations in Urban Redevelopment,” Victoria Tran, University of California, Los Angeles

“Navigating Precarity through Life Investment: Gendered Dynamics of Digital Creative Labor and Financial Practices in Contemporary South Korea,” Sojin Lee, Yonsei University

“Bridges of Precarity, Borders of Privilege: How Indian Immigrant Tech Workers in the U.S. Engage in Boundary Work,” Rianka Roy, Wake Forest University

“Are the Elites the Exception? First-generation Student Social Mobility Experiences across Highly-selective and Regional-public Campuses,” Melissa Osborne, Western Washington University

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