Extended Concepts of Social Positioning

Abstract

The foundation of a new framework for the analysis of socio-cultural differentiation, inequality and social structures are existing multi-dimensional approaches. From African studies and development studies, these are Schatzberg’s “triple helix” and the livelihood approach. Intersectionality and gender studies offer a new perspective that includes questions of identity, and thus socio-cultural elements. And in Germany there is an ongoing debate on the analysis of social structure that combines socio-economic differences are operationalised as “social situations” as typical contexts of conditions of action that are (un)favourable for the satisfaction of generally accepted needs and socio-cultural differentiation analysed in terms of lifestyles or milieus. Radical approaches underline that lifestyle and milieu do not follow class distinctions.