Mapping Inequality in an Era of Neoliberalism

Offering a unique, comprehensive, and critical introduction to increasingly visible social inequalities, this textbook examines the political and economic causes and cultural consequences of a stratifying system that allocates material resources and human dignity on the basis of private profit and labor exploitation. Mapping Inequality in an Era of Neoliberalism foregrounds capitalism as the major source of the power relations in the United States, as a class system that serves the dominant vector of inequality and sets the parameters of social mobility. The book starts with racialized capitalist power and shows how this power is constituted in structures of opportunity and constraint. It also uses ethnographic accounts to “flip the script” to show how individuals in the class structure construct identities. Providing students with tools for understanding, Valocchi engagingly introduces many of the crucial concepts in this area of sociology – power, opportunity structures, ideology, social and cultural capitals, and intersectional class identities – connecting them as part of a uniquely critical approach.

Table of Contents:
Part I: Power, Power: Who Has the Power? 1 Mapping Inequality: The Start of the Journey 2 Capitalism and Class 3 Capitalisms and Inequalities: The Shift from the Social Contract to Flexible, Neoliberal Capitalism 4 Ideologies and Cultural Scripts as Power 5 Economy and Work in the Era of Neoliberalism 6 The Neoliberal State and Inequality 7 Education, Neoliberalism, and Inequality Part II: From Power to People: The Interpretive Approach to Inequality 8 Living in Neoliberalism 9 Economic, Social, and Cultural Capitals 10 Telling Class Stories I: Cultural Scripts and Meaning-Making 11 Telling Class Stories II: Capitals and Identities 12 Conclusion: Reaching our Destination: Now What?

About the Author :
Stephen Valocchi is Professor of Sociology at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where he has taught courses in social stratification for several decades. He is author of two books, Capitalisms and Gay Identities (2020) and Social Movements in the United States (2010). He is also author (with Robert Corber) of Queer Studies: An Interdisciplinary Reader (2003).

Review :
“Mapping Inequality in an Era of Neoliberalism challenges the cliché that no book can do everything. Masterfully integrating structural and historical forces with the cultural meaning-making discourses through which structures are lived, reproduced and contested, Stephen Valocchi provides a comprehensive characterization of social inequality in the U.S. Casting aside the catalogue-like renderings of introductory textbooks and the status-attainment models of social stratification texts, Valocchi centers capitalism and the organization of power in the mapping of inequality. Further, building on a career of teaching social inequality, Valocchi adds two chapters of student narratives drawn from their own interviews with family members and friends that enables him to bring to life the concepts in the book and to provide a template for others wishing to teach inequality. This is the textbook we have been waiting for: radical in its intent; comprehensive in its scope; rigorous in its exposition; hopeful in its critique; and sweeping in its rendering of the best that sociology has to offer on the topic.” Timothy Black, Professor of Sociology, Case Western Reserve University, USA and co-author of It’s a Setup: Fathering from the Social and Economic Margins (2021) “When I was a college student, I took Professor Valocchi’s Social Class and Mobility course. This book accomplishes everything that life-changing course did: it expertly combines macro and micro perspectives to offer a thorough, engaging, and poignant introduction to the American class structure. It’s an ideal read for anyone who wants to know more about how class works.” Jessi Streib, Associate Professor of Sociology, Duke University, USA "Professor Valocchi’s book is a necessary intervention in social class literature that posits an open system of stratification in American society. Valocchi writes a powerful analysis of the “the root causes of the class system in the United States” and ways in which class inequalities are embedded within structures that create privilege for a few and deprive most of needed resources. Moreover, Valocchi provides a useful book that is both accessible to undergraduates and appropriate for graduate-level courses. The argument that the oft-used variables to measure socioeconomic status – education, occupation, and income – are embedded in economic and political systems is deceptively simple while also thoughtful and provocative. The deceptive “simplicity” lies in the unequal outcomes that we often teach students to see. The argument is thoughtful and provocative in its analysis of the ubiquity of power and coercion in societies in generating unequal class outcomes. This book does not sacrifice the complexities of class inequality. Instead, it illuminates how social forces constantly work to sustain class inequality." Lori Waite, Lecturer of Sociology, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, USA