UD 9 - Amsterdam

According to Boterman & van Gent, social class is nationally contingent. What do they mean by this?

The meaning of social class and its classifications are highly dependent on national contexts and scholarly traditions.

Dutch society is characterized by a ‘Burgher society / burgermaatschappij’.

What does this mean?

A society where non-religious and non-noble groups became dominant since the late Middle Ages, and bourgeois values set the norm.

Why were labour movements less powerful in The Netherlands?

Industrialization and urbanisation occurred late compared to other European countries.

which criterium is becoming increasingly important in modern-day stratification?

Education level

• there’s a growing gap between the academically educated and labour-focused educated

Why is the Dutch society described as a ‘club sandwich’?

there’s a clear top and bottom class layer, with 4 less strictly defined, but hierarchically ordened classes in between.

Who are the upcoming professional middle class?

highly-educated professionals and service sector workers with a lot of cultural capital.

• often economically wealthy, but not belonging to the elite

• often white

Why does the professional middle class have a more urban orientation?

They value social and ethnic diversity, cultural authenticity and historical preservation.

How is class spatialised?

The city constitutes class formations, as the struggle over spatial resources & place-based social reproduction is crucial.

How does uneven urban development occur?

it results from the spatiality of capital, where investment and disinvestment shape the distribution of resources among social groups.

How is the relationship between class and the state an interplay?

Class dynamics, shaped by economic and social relations, influence the state through electoral politics and state apparatuses, which in turn lead to spatial transformations.