20世纪50年代以来美国新中产阶级的兴衰与维系

摘要

本文旨在重现新中产阶级在美国社会中立体的、多元的形态和作用。首先，文章借鉴社会分层理论、功能主义理论、符号学理论、需求理论、比较优势等理论，构建了一个基于社会学的跨学科的理论框架；尔后，通过分析大量翔实的实证性数据资料，文章历史地探讨了自20世纪50年代以来美国新中产阶级兴起的促因及其衰微的诱因；最后，文章梳理了美国学界的若干有建设性的观点，指出了美国新中产阶级得以维系的可行性途径。 美国中产阶级是美国社会发展主流趋势的引领者和风向标，是美国社会中不可或缺的中坚力量。对此，美国学者做出了形象的比喻和深刻的阐释。米尔斯认为，中产阶级是阶级利益的平衡轮和稳定器、是阶级冲突的减压阀、是和谐社会的创造者。弗里德曼认为，没有中产阶级，美国的社会稳定是难以企及的。美国中产阶级经历了老中产阶级与新中产阶级两种不同的形态。从职业形态来看，老中产阶级主要包括农场主；新中产阶级主要包括薪金雇员，即白领阶层。新中产阶级发轫于工业社会，勃兴于20世纪50年代的后工业社会。究其原因，新中产阶级的勃兴是后工业社会中教育的充分发展和媒介化现代消费意识的的产物。然而，自20世纪70年代以来，新中产阶级日趋衰微。这主要表现为部分白领阶层身陷失业，甚至是破产的困境。质而论之，这一群体的衰微是全球化、消费文化和政府政策调整等在社会阶级层面上的表征。鉴于新中产阶级在稳定美国社会中具有的重大意义，美国学界就如何维系新中产阶级展开了持久、深入、广泛的探讨，提出了诸如建立福利制度、改变消费观念、提高竞争力等的建设性观点。

目录

文摘

英文文摘

声明

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1 The Criteria of the American New Middle Class

1.1 The facets of social class

1.1.1 The existence of social class in American society

1.1.2 The criteria of social class

1.2 The middle class and the American new middle class

1.2.1 The main criteria of the American middle class

1.2.2 The main criteria of the American new middle class

Chapter 2 The Formation of the American New Middle Class in the Industrial Society as the Historical Background

2.1 The decline of the American old middle class in the industrial society

2.2 The formation of the American new middle class in the industrial society

2.3The main differences between the old middle class and the new middle class

Chapter 3 The Rise of the American New Middle Class in the Post-industrial Society since the 1950s

3.1 The impacts of the post-industrial society on the rise of the American new middle class since the 1950s

3.2The main contributing factors of the American new middle class identification

3.2.1Education-the main“ladder”for the rise of the American new middle class

3.2.2 Consumption - the main“stimulus” for the American new middle class identification

Chapter 4 The Decline and Subsistence of the American New Middle Class since the 1970s

4.1 The decline of the American new middle class since the 1970s

4.1.1 The main manifestations of the American new middle class in the decline since the 1970s

4.1.2 The main factors causing the decline of the American new middle class since the 1970s

4.2 The subsistence of the American new middle class

4.2.1 The construction of modern welfarism by the government

4.2.2 The change of their consumption concept

4.2.3 The subsistence through improving their competing abilities

Conclusion

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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