Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Class identity, experiences, and intersections among young college-educated people in West Virginia
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
The symbolic role and meaning of class has shifted in the U.S. as we have become a predominantly postindustrial society. In general, most people identify with the “middle class,” or what is considered to be the “normal” class. However, in West Virginia, like other places characterized by rural and/or Appalachian stereotypes, working class culture based on the historical role of the coal industry is symbolically dominant in West Virginia despite material realities. In this paper I discuss the experiences of college-educated young adults in West Virginia through the prism of class identity. I ask how class, education, gender, race, and sexuality influence relationship to place, and I show that the intersection of these identities can result in alienation from place but can also foster cross-class connections, particularly among young people interested in social justice. I argue that working class culture is a key aspect of the culture in West Virginia in which these youth relationally construct their own identities. This is important to how they interpret and relate to place. In addition to the class privilege available to college-educated youth, they are of course also dealing with other aspects of identity including gender, race, and sexuality. In the context of the white masculine working class culture in WV, women, people of color, and LGBT people occupy a marginalized status and must negotiate their belonging in this context. Thus, their sense of belonging is relational to a white, heteropatriarchal working class culture that is symbolically dominant if not materially dominant. The potential for making alliances across class exists here and is affected by the intersectional experiences of gender, race, and sexuality. In this presentation I will provide examples based on qualitative data collection that show how young people negotiate class identity to progressive and problematic ends.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Rachel Terman is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Ohio University and is a core faculty member of the College of Arts and Sciences Wealth and Poverty Theme as well as an affiliate faculty member of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program.
Class identity, experiences, and intersections among young college-educated people in West Virginia
The symbolic role and meaning of class has shifted in the U.S. as we have become a predominantly postindustrial society. In general, most people identify with the “middle class,” or what is considered to be the “normal” class. However, in West Virginia, like other places characterized by rural and/or Appalachian stereotypes, working class culture based on the historical role of the coal industry is symbolically dominant in West Virginia despite material realities. In this paper I discuss the experiences of college-educated young adults in West Virginia through the prism of class identity. I ask how class, education, gender, race, and sexuality influence relationship to place, and I show that the intersection of these identities can result in alienation from place but can also foster cross-class connections, particularly among young people interested in social justice. I argue that working class culture is a key aspect of the culture in West Virginia in which these youth relationally construct their own identities. This is important to how they interpret and relate to place. In addition to the class privilege available to college-educated youth, they are of course also dealing with other aspects of identity including gender, race, and sexuality. In the context of the white masculine working class culture in WV, women, people of color, and LGBT people occupy a marginalized status and must negotiate their belonging in this context. Thus, their sense of belonging is relational to a white, heteropatriarchal working class culture that is symbolically dominant if not materially dominant. The potential for making alliances across class exists here and is affected by the intersectional experiences of gender, race, and sexuality. In this presentation I will provide examples based on qualitative data collection that show how young people negotiate class identity to progressive and problematic ends.
