Understanding Poverty

People in poverty suffer daily under misconceptions about economic hardship and its causes. Providing the most comprehensive consideration to date of poverty in the United States, Elizabeth Seale tackles how we think about issues of culture, behavior, and poverty, cutting straight to the heart of debates about social class. The book addresses tough questions, including how being poor affects individual behavior, and how we can make sense of that in a larger social and political context. The central premise is that to understand the behavior and lives of people in poverty, one must consider their relational context, especially relations of vulnerability and the human need for dignity. Poverty is a social problem we should address as a society by changing social relations that, as a matter of course, cause unnecessary and immense suffering. To do so, we must directly confront our lack of regard for people in poverty by recognizing that they are in fact worthy of an effort to induce major social change. This critical introduction to poverty will be an important read for undergraduate students and above in sociology wanting to learn more about the growing social problems of poverty, inequality, and stratification.

People in poverty suffer daily under misconceptions about economic hardship and its causes. Providing the most comprehensive consideration to date of poverty in the United States, Elizabeth Seale tackles how we think about issues of culture, behavior, and poverty, cutting straight to the heart of debates about social class. The book addresses tough questions, including how being poor affects individual behavior, and how we can make sense of that in a larger social and political context. The central premise is that to understand the behavior and lives of people in poverty, one must consider their relational context, especially relations of vulnerability and the human need for dignity. Poverty is a social problem we should address as a society by changing social relations that, as a matter of course, cause unnecessary and immense suffering. To do so, we must directly confront our lack of regard for people in poverty by recognizing that they are in fact worthy of an effort to induce major social change.This critical introduction to poverty will be an important read for undergraduate students and above in sociology wanting to learn more about the growing social problems of poverty, inequality, and stratification.

1. On UnderstandingPoverty in the U.S.My Research ExperienceHow We Think and Talk about PovertyA Relational ApproachWhat a Relational Approach ContributesRelations of Vulnerability and the Desire for DignityAims and Overview of the Book2. Who Are the Poor?Defining and Measuring PovertyMobilityDiversitySimilarity to and Difference from the NonpoorConclusion3. Family and ParentingSingle Mother HouseholdsYoung MomsChild MaltreatmentConclusion4. CultureHistorical ContextCulture of Poverty and PolicyProblems with the Culture of Poverty ArgumentsContemporary Research on Culture and PovertyA Culture of Dependency or a Culture of Blame?Conclusion5. Structure and Social RelationsHow Structure Creates PovertySocial Policy: Punishing the PoorThe Limits of StructuralismA Relational Approach6. Opportunity and Personal AutonomyGoing to CollegeFinding (Better) EmploymentGeneral AutonomyConclusion7. Vulnerability and DignityThe Relations of PovertyChanging Our Thinking about PovertyThe Significance of a Relational ApproachConclusion