TY - JOUR
T1 - The new squirearchy and emergent cultures of the new middle classes in rural areas
AU - Heley, Jesse
N1 - Funding Information:
The Ph.D. study on which this article is based was funded by a postgraduate research studentship provided by Aberystwyth University. I am grateful to Dr. Bill Edwards, Professor Mike Woods, Professor Martin Jones and Dr. Deborah Dixon and Dr. Chris Bear for their support and guidance, and Dr. Graham Gardner in particular for his critical reflections on this piece. Furthermore, I would also like to acknowledge the residents of 'Eamesworth' who, by and large, accepted my constant probing with a mixture of humour, good faith and patience.
PY - 2010/10
Y1 - 2010/10
N2 - In part prompted by a recent spate of media reports this paper explores the emergence of a ‘new squirearchy’ in the English countryside. In doing so, it aims to both illuminate a particular facet of rural social life and help reignite interest in the cultures of rural class. Whilst relationships between rural class and culture were a source of excitement during the 1990s, much of this interest has apparently spluttered if not died, despite class itself remaining very much a live issue for rural dwellers. The paper draws on the findings of an in-depth ethnographic study to highlight the significance of performance and symbolic boundary-marking in the construction and reproduction of social identity. The focus is the activities and sites of ‘the pub’, ‘the hunt’ and ‘the shoot’, which have been key in the emergence of the new squirearchy in the study area. The paper shows the importance of lay classifications based on evaluations of cultural (in)competence and morality, and suggests that the performance and boundary-marking of the new squirearchy in tandem with other identities is evidence of a more extensive, complex and ambiguous ‘culture of middle-classness’ in rural areas.
AB - In part prompted by a recent spate of media reports this paper explores the emergence of a ‘new squirearchy’ in the English countryside. In doing so, it aims to both illuminate a particular facet of rural social life and help reignite interest in the cultures of rural class. Whilst relationships between rural class and culture were a source of excitement during the 1990s, much of this interest has apparently spluttered if not died, despite class itself remaining very much a live issue for rural dwellers. The paper draws on the findings of an in-depth ethnographic study to highlight the significance of performance and symbolic boundary-marking in the construction and reproduction of social identity. The focus is the activities and sites of ‘the pub’, ‘the hunt’ and ‘the shoot’, which have been key in the emergence of the new squirearchy in the study area. The paper shows the importance of lay classifications based on evaluations of cultural (in)competence and morality, and suggests that the performance and boundary-marking of the new squirearchy in tandem with other identities is evidence of a more extensive, complex and ambiguous ‘culture of middle-classness’ in rural areas.
KW - Culture
KW - Middle classes
KW - New squirearchy
KW - Performance
KW - Symbolic boundaries
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=78149467504&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2010.03.002
DO - 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2010.03.002
M3 - Article
SN - 0743-0167
VL - 26
SP - 321
EP - 331
JO - Journal of Rural Studies
JF - Journal of Rural Studies
IS - 4
ER -