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‘Olivier Masclet and his team of expert researchers have produced an exemplary account of those in the middle tier of the working class today: those who are not so poor and insecure as to be the subject of moral panic and political censure but not so afuent and privileged as to be on the edge of the middle class. They are getting by, struggling on, trying to be “like everyone else”, with hopes, dreams, struggles, failures and fears for the future. Embedding rich, detailed case studies of individuals and couples within rigorous reviews of the changes sweeping France as much as any other Western social order, the team skilfully manage to unpick the efects of declining working class solidarity, precarisation and feminisation of employment, changing gender relations and the race for credentials on the everyday experiences, biographies, self-perceptions and self-evaluations of workers and families in the 21st century. This is a must-read for anyone interested in working-class life in contemporary Europe’. Will Atkinson, Professor of Sociology, University of Bristol, author of The Class Structure of Capitalist Societies and Beyond Bourdieu SUBALTERN WORKERS IN CONTEMPORARY FRANCE This volume explores the lives and work of those who are kept out of poverty by their employment, but who occupy tenuous social positions and subaltern jobs. Presenting a score of household portraits – urban, suburban, and rural – the authors examine what it means to ‘get by’ in France today, considering the material and symbolic resources that these households can muster, and the practices that give meaning to their lives. With attention to their aspirations and disappointments – and their desire to be ‘like everyone else’ in a supposedly egalitarian society that nonetheless gives them little credit for their efort – this book ofers a sociological interpretation of their situations, ofering new in- sights into what it means to be ‘working class’ in a 21st-century post-industrial society. Combining statistical analyses with ethnographically based examina- tions of how changes in the structure of the employment market relate to plans for upward mobility, Subaltern Workers in Contemporary France sheds light on the ways in which class identity – along with all its associated practices, tastes, and aspirations – has changed since the sociological classics on the working classes were published over half a century ago. As such, this book will appeal to sociologists with interests in the sociology of the family, social class, and the sociology of work. Olivier Masclet is a Professor of Sociology at the Université de Limoges and co-director of the GRESCO Research Centre, France. Thomas Amossé is a researcher at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, Lise-CEET Research Centre, Paris, France. Lise Bernard is a researcher at CNRS and a member of the Centre Maurice Halbwachs, Paris, France. Marie Cartier is a Professor of Sociology at Nantes University, France. Marie-Hélène Lechien is a Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the Université de Limoges, France. Olivier Schwartz is a Professor of Sociology at the Université Paris Cité, France. Yasmine Siblot is a Professor of Sociology at the Université Paris 8, CRESPPA-CSU Research Centre, France. Routledge Advances in Sociology This series presents cutting-edge developments and debates within the feld of sociology. It provides a broad range of case studies and the latest theoretical perspectives while covering a variety of topics, theories, and issues from around the world. It is not confned to any particular school of thought. Debates Around Abortion in the Global North Europe, North America, Russia and Asia Fabienne Portier-Le Cocq Class Boundaries in Europe The Bourdieusian Approach in Perspective Johs Hjellbrekke, Cédric Hugrée, Étienne Penissat, Alexis Spire Covid-19 Responses of Local Communities around the World Exploring Trust in the Context of Risk and Fear Khun Eng Kuah, Gilles Guiheux, and Francis K.G. Lim Space, Mobility, and Crisis in Mega-Event Organisation Tokyo Olympics 2020’s Atmospheric Irradiations Rodanthi Tzanelli Subaltern Workers in Contemporary France To Be Like Everyone Else Edited by Olivier Masclet, Thomas Amossé, Lise Bernard, Marie Cartier, Marie- Hélène Lechien, Olivier Schwartz and Yasmine Siblot For more information about this series, please visit: https://www.routledge. com/Routledge-Advances-in-Sociology/book-series/SE0511 SUBALTERN WORKERS IN CONTEMPORARY FRANCE To Be Like Everyone Else Edited by Olivier Masclet, Thomas Amossé, Lise Bernard, Marie Cartier, Marie-Hélène Lechien, Olivier Schwartz and Yasmine Siblot Translated by Juliette R. Rogers Translated by Juliette R. Rogers Designed cover image: Getty Images. First published in English 2023 by Routledge 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2023 selection and editorial matter, Olivier Masclet, Thomas Amossé, Lise Bernard, Marie Cartier, Marie-Hélène Lechien, Olivier Schwartz and Yasmine Siblot; individual chapters, the contributors Translated by Juliette R. Rogers. The right of Olivier Masclet, Thomas Amossé, Lise Bernard, Marie Cartier, Marie- Hélène Lechien, Olivier Schwartz and Yasmine Siblot to be identifed as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifcation and explanation without intent to infringe. Published in French by Raisons d’Agir 2020. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Masclet, Olivier, editor. | Amossé, Thomas, editor. | Bernard, Lise, editor. | Cartier, Marie, editor. | Lechien, Marie-Hélène, editor. | Schwartz, Olivier, 1951– editor. | Siblot, Yasmine, editor. | Rogers, Juliette (Translator), translator. Title: Subaltern workers in contemporary France : to be like everyone else / edited by Olivier Masclet, Thomas Amossé, Lise Bernard, Marie Cartier, Marie- Hélène Lechien, Olivier Schwartz and Yasmine Siblot ; translated by Juliette R. Rogers. Other titles: Être comme tout le monde. English Description: New York : Routledge, 2023. | Series: Routledge advances in sociology | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Identifers: LCCN 2022037154 (print) | LCCN 2022037155 (ebook) | ISBN 9781032360560 (hardback) | ISBN 9781032360577 (paperback) | ISBN 9781003330073 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Working class—France—History—21st century. | Working class—France—Economic conditions—21st century. | Employees—France—Social conditions—21st century. | Employees—France—Economic conditions—21st century. Classifcation: LCC HD8431 .E7713 2023 (print) | LCC HD8431 (ebook) | DDC 331.0944—dc23/eng/20220823 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022037154 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022037155 ISBN: 978-1-032-36056-0 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-032-36057-7 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-33007-3 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9781003330073 Typeset in Bembo by codeMantra CONTENTS List of fgures xiii List of tables xv List of contributors xvii 1 Introduction: Subalterns in a ‘society of the similar’: A study of the lifestyles of the stable-modest fractions of the contemporary working classes 1 Olivier Masclet 2 An exploration of the working classes starting from their middle fractions: A two-pronged approach, through statistics and case studies 29 Thomas Amossé, Lise Bernard, Marie Cartier, Marie-Hélène Lechien and Yasmine Siblot Part 1 Stories of stabilisation 63 3 Introduction to Part 1: Stories of stabilisation 65 Lise Bernard and Olivier Masclet 4 ‘We aimed too high’: A household destabilised by its residential and professional aspirations – Élodie Paillé and Clément Jacquet 74 Lucas Tranchant