The Riots of the Underclass

Source 1: Tyler, I. (N.d.). The Riots of the Underclass?: Stigmatisation, Mediation and the Government of Poverty and Disadvantage in Neoliberal Britain.

Imogen Tyler’s article critically examines the August 2011 English riots, challenging the dominant narrative that attributed them simply to an 'underclass' (Tyler, N.d.). Tyler argues this 'underclass' label is a political myth, instrumentalised to justify the shift from protective liberal welfare to punitive neoliberal 'workfare' regimes. The author contends that the media's framing of the riots as an 'underclass' phenomenon legitimised this policy change. Engaging with scholars like Gilroy (2011), Skeggs (2004), and Harvey (2005), Tyler highlights the detrimental role of neoliberal capitalism in exacerbating inequality and erasing class discourse from mainstream politics. The article asserts that the abjection of class itself constitutes a form of class-making, serving elite interests under the guise of meritocracy.

Theoretical Orientation/Data Source:

• Theoretical Orientation: Critical sociological analysis, political economy of neoliberalism, media studies, and governmentality studies.

• Data Source: Primarily a discursive analysis of public, political, and media representations surrounding the 2011 riots and the 'underclass' concept, drawing on existing critical sociology.

References

Tyler, I. (N.d.). The Riots of the Underclass?: Stigmatisation, Mediation and the Government of Poverty and Disadvantage in Neoliberal Britain.