The cultural logic of precariousness and the marginalization of the sociological imagination: Signs from Mexican self-help books.

Abstract

In recent decades, precariousness has become an increasingly prominent feature of life in many countries. At the same time as precarious forms of social relations have proliferated, self-help books have become tremendously popular. This article examines five best-selling self-help books in Mexico - two promoting mental wellness, one providing financial advice, one about romantic relationships, and one sharing inspirational lessons regarding success - to explore how self-help texts reflect the cultural logic of precariousness. While encouraging readers to overcome challenges, think positively, and transform bad habits into good ones, the texts present visions of human agency free from social constraint. Self-help books in Mexico reproduce a cultural logic that corresponds to material realities of precariousness in work and family life. This logic helps account for the expanding popularity of the genre and encourages a marginalization of the sociological imagination in popular culture - a marginalization that sociologists should contest through greater public engagement.