CAS350H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Consumerism, Gangbuk District, The Takeaway
Document Summary
The muddled middle class in globalized south korea. Phenomenon of the declining korean middle class adn social and cultural aspects to this change. Korean middle class is undergoing profound intl changes. Middle class is becoming internally divided between a minority of the affluent and a majority who is suffering from growing job insecurity and unstable income. Introduced luxuries for the rich to distinguish themselves from the ordinary middle class. The education market and global cultural skills have inspired the development of opportunities for expensive overseas schooling. In sum: middle class becomes globalized and turns to status competition using globalized goods. All while: middle class struggling with precarious jobs and debts are becoming frustrated and worried. Argument: middle class is becoming polarized, muddled, and vacuous category, losing its old character of being relatively homogeneous, fluid, and upward looking. Industrialization of the 1960-80s created groth of self employed and small busines soowners in large urban areas.
