Abstract
Abstract This paper presents some conceptual observations on how the condition of poverty is brought to public attention and discussed, i.e. on mediations of poverty. It is proposed that such mediation is largely monopolised by those who are not-poor, though attempts to describe the not-poor as a category call for circumspection. As such, mediations are based on preconceptions which are seldom examined carefully. These preconceptions are dubbed phenomenal bases here, and three are outlined in general terms: poverty as experience, visible poverty, and poverty in abstract. A final section considers ‘fear of poverty’ as a pervasive idea, and speculates on the possibility of approaching political economy accordingly.
Highlights
The Open University Milton Keynes, United Kingdom Abstract This paper presents some conceptual observations on how the condition of poverty is brought to public attention and discussed, i.e. on mediations of poverty
The mediation of poverty bears upon perceptions, definitions, descriptions, measurements, tabulations, representations, analyses of poverty, and upon programmes for poverty alleviation. Insofar as all these entail some sort of recording for public or social engagement, that is done predominantly – overwhelmingly – from outside the precincts of living in poverty. Those who are not living in poverty, the not-poor, have a near monopoly on choosing to see the poor as such, on talking about them, and, occasionally, on enabling them to be heard
The contrapuntal terms are momentarily convenient to articulate the notion of mediation and to set forth an argument
Summary
The Open University Milton Keynes, United Kingdom Abstract This paper presents some conceptual observations on how the condition of poverty is brought to public attention and discussed, i.e. on mediations of poverty. Mediations are based on preconceptions which are seldom examined carefully. These preconceptions are dubbed phenomenal bases here, and three are outlined in general terms: poverty as experience, visible poverty, and poverty in abstract. As mediações baseiam-se em pressuposições que raramente são examinadas com atenção. Se propone que tal mediación está en gran medida monopolizada por los no pobres, aun cuando la intención de describir los no-pobres merezca una cuidadosa consideración. Como tal, se basan en presuposiciones que raramente son examinadas con atención. Pobreza” como una idea generalizada y se especula sobre la posibilidad de abordar la economía política sobre tales bases. Palabras-clave: estudios de la pobreza, metáfora, sufrimiento, mirada, precariedad
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