Poverty, the battle against stigmatization and the role of public sociology

The chapter reviews some of the most common social representation of the poor and of poverty, and to explore the link between such categories and the corresponding policies. More specifically, it shows how new forms of blame and moral condemnation of the poor have emerged, together with public rhetoric based on the social representation of the poor as unable to provide for themselves and to self-organize, in need of “good” advice, or idle people requiring explicit and implicit forms of workfare. Our focus on these themes aims to shine some light on one aspect of poverty that is less commonly investigated (even by sociologists), but which is of great importance for public sociology, namely the lack of recognition, or the misrecognition of the poor. However, we do not intend to underestimate the broad question of economic inequality, given that in order for poor people to overcome the stigma of poverty and to recover their capacity to act and to make decisions, there has to be a greater, more equitable distribution of resources.

The chapter reviews some of the most common social representation of the poor and of poverty, and to explore the link between such categories and the corresponding policies. More specifically, it shows how new forms of blame and moral condemnation of the poor have emerged, together with public rhetoric based on the social representation of the poor as unable to provide for themselves and to self-organize, in need of “good” advice, or idle people requiring explicit and implicit forms of workfare. Our focus on these themes aims to shine some light on one aspect of poverty that is less commonly investigated (even by sociologists), but which is of great importance for public sociology, namely the lack of recognition, or the misrecognition of the poor. However, we do not intend to underestimate the broad question of economic inequality, given that in order for poor people to overcome the stigma of poverty and to recover their capacity to act and to make decisions, there has to be a greater, more equitable distribution of resources.l