Magne Flemmen

• Jarness, Vegard & Flemmen, Magne (2019). A struggle on two fronts: boundary drawing in the lower region of the social space and the symbolic market for ‘down‐to‐earthness. British Journal of Sociology.  ISSN 0007-1315.  70(1), s 166- 189 . doi: 10.1111/1468-4446.12345 Show summary

  In this article we use qualitative interviews to examine how Norwegians possessing low volumes of cultural and economic capital demarcate themselves symbolically from the lifestyles of those above and below them in social space. In downward boundary drawing, a range of types of people are regarded as inferior because of perceived moral and aesthetic deficiencies. In upward boundary drawing, anti-elitist sentiments are strong: people practising resourcedemanding lifestyles are viewed as harbouring ‘snobbish’ and ‘elitist’ attitudes. However, our analysis suggests that contemporary forms of anti-elitism are far from absolute, as symbolic expressions of privilege are markedly less challenged if they are parcelled in a ‘down-to-earth’ attitude. Previous studies have shown attempts by the privileged to downplay differences in cross-class encounters, accompanied by displays of openness and down-to-earthness. Our findings suggest that there is in fact a symbolic ‘market’ for such performances in the lower region of social space. This cross-class sympathy, we argue, helps naturalize, and thereby legitimize, class inequalities. The implications of this finding are outlined with reference to current scholarly debates about politics and populism, status and recognition and intersections between class and gender in the structuring of social inequalities. The article also contributes key methodological insights into the mapping of symbolic boundaries. Challenging Lamont’s influential framework, we demonstrate that there is a need for a more complex analytical strategy rather than simply measuring the ‘relative salience’ of various boundaries in terms of their occurrence in qualitative interview data. In distinguishing analytically between usurpationary and exclusionary boundary strategies, we show that moral boundaries in particular can take on qualitatively different forms and that subtypes of boundaries are sometimes so tightly intertwined that separating them to measure their relative salience would neglect the complex ways in which they combine to engender both aversion to and sympathies for others.

• Jarness, Vegard; Flemmen, Magne & Rosenlund, Lennart (2019). From Class Politics to Classed Politics. Sociology.  ISSN 0038-0385. . doi: 10.1177/0038038519838740 Show summary

  Questions of political conflict have always been central to class analysis; changing political fault lines were a key argument in the debates about the ‘death of class’. The ensuing ‘cultural turn’ in class analysis has shown how class continues to shape lives and experience, though often in new ways. In this article, we bring this mode of analysis to the political domain by unpacking how a multidimensional concept of class – based on the ideas of Bourdieu – can help make sense of contemporary political divisions. We demonstrate that there is a homological relation between the social space and the political space: pronounced political divisions between ‘old’ politics related to economic issues and ‘new’ politics related to ‘post-material values’ follow the volume and composition of capital. Importantly, the left/right divide seems more clearly related to the divide between cultural and economic capital than to the class hierarchy itself.

• Toft, Maren & Flemmen, Magne (2019). Var klassesamfunnet noen gang på hell?. Norsk sosiologisk tidsskrift.  ISSN 2535-2512.  3(2), s 137- 155
• Flemmen, Magne & Haakestad, Hedda (2018). Class and politics in twenty-first century Norway: a homology of positions and position-taking. European Societies: The Official Journal of the European Sociological Association.  ISSN 1461-6696.  20(3), s 401- 423 . doi: 10.1080/14616696.2017.1371318
• Flemmen, Magne; Jarness, Vegard & Rosenlund, Lennart (2018). Class and status: on the misconstrual of the conceptual distinction and a neo-Bourdieusian alternative. British Journal of Sociology.  ISSN 0007-1315.  0(0), s 1- 51 . doi: 10.1111/1468-4446.12508 Show summary

  In this article, we address the classical debate about the relationship between the economic and cultural aspects of social stratification, typically cast in terms of Weber’s distinction between class and status. We discuss in particular Chan and Goldthorpe’s influential, yet largely unchallenged, attempt to reinstate a strict version of the class‐status distinction, mounted as an attack on ‘Bourdieusian’ accounts. We argue that this is unconvincing in two respects: There are fundamental problems with their conceptualization of status, producing a peculiar account where one expression of status honour explains the other; in addition, their portrayal of the Bourdieusian approach as one‐dimensional is highly questionable. In contradiction of a reading of Bourdieu as discarding the class‐status distinction, we develop an alternative, neo‐Bourdieusian account that recognizes class and status as distinct aspects of stratification, thereby allowing for a subtle analysis of their empirical entwinement. The fruitfulness of this approach is demonstrated by analysing the homology between the space of lifestyles and the social space through Multiple Correspondence Analysis of unusually rich data about lifestyles. Importantly, we highlight the relative autonomy of these spaces: Although they exhibit a similar structure, they do not overlap completely.

• Jarness, Vegard; Pedersen, Willy & Flemmen, Magne (2018). The discreet charm of the children of the bourgeoisie: economic capital and its symbolic expressions at an elite business school. British Journal of Sociology.  ISSN 0007-1315. . doi: 10.1111/1468-4446.12625
• Pedersen, Willy; Jarness, Vegard & Flemmen, Magne (2018). Revenge of the nerds: Cultural capital and the politics of lifestyle among adolescent elites. Poetics.  ISSN 0304-422X.  70, s 54- 66 . doi: 10.1016/j.poetic.2018.05.002 Full text in Research Archive. Show summary

  In recent scholarly debates about cultural stratification, some have argued that ‘openness’ and ‘omnivorous’ lifestyles constitute a new form of distinction. Using qualitative interviews, we address this by focusing on adolescents from backgrounds particularly rich in cultural capital, namely students at Schola Osloensis, the most prestigious upper-secondary school in Norway. Our findings reveal that (i) these students value academic merit; although they embrace selected forms of pop culture, and are self-reflexively reluctant to describe themselves as ‘elite’, their lifestyle is characterized by preferences for classical cultural canons. They regard this as necessary to understand contemporary avant-garde culture and achieve academic success. They also exhibit (ii) a distinctive fashion style that does not only emphasize aesthetics but also involves moral-political aspects. ‘Hipster’ style is criticized for being too commercial, whereas a ‘nerdy’ position is embraced as compatible with a quest for knowledge and insight. They also adopt (iii) political positions on feminism, antiracism and environmental protection, seamlessly interweaving these forms of position-taking in their everyday lives. (iv) Those who break key moral-political and aesthetic norms are negatively sanctioned and there are few signs of truly ‘open’ and ‘omnivorous’ lifestyles. We conclude that an elite education in an egalitarian society such as Norway is associated with a purported non-elitist style, where liberal values such as gender equality and international solidarity are at the centre. Simultaneously, however, through their education at Schola Osloensis, these students acquire high levels of cultural capital, including symbolic mastery and an embodied ability to perform well in demanding social settings. These skills, we argue, will be useful at the top levels of a rapidly changing labour market. In pointing to the persistent salience of ‘old school’ displays of cultural capital, as well as clear instances of symbolic boundary work, our study challenges core assumptions in research about cultural stratification and omnivorousness.

• Toft, Maren & Flemmen, Magne (2018). The gendered reproduction of the upper class, In Olav Korsnes; Johan Heilbron; Johannes Hjellbrekke; Felix Bühlmann & Mike Savage (ed.),  New Directions in Elite Studies.  Routledge.  ISBN 978-1138059191.  6.  s 113 - 133
• Flemmen, Magne; Hjellbrekke, Johannes & Jarness, Vegard (2017). Class, culture and culinary tastes: cultural distinctions and social class divisions in contemporary Norway. Sociology.  ISSN 0038-0385.  52(1), s 128- 149 . doi: 10.1177/0038038516673528
• Flemmen, Magne; Jarness, Vegard & Rosenlund, Lennart (2017). Social space and cultural class divisions: the forms of capital and contemporary lifestyle differentiation. British Journal of Sociology.  ISSN 0007-1315.  69(1), s 124- 153 . doi: 10.1111/1468-4446.12295
• Flemmen, Magne & Savage, Mike (2017). The politics of nationalism and white racism in the UK. British Journal of Sociology.  ISSN 0007-1315.  68, s S233- S264 . doi: 10.1111/1468-4446.12311
• Flemmen, Magne; Toft, Maren; Andersen, Patrick Lie; Hansen, Marianne Nordli & Ljunggren, Jørn (2017). Forms of Capital and Modes of Closure in Upper Class Reproduction. Sociology.  ISSN 0038-0385.  51(6), s 1277- 1298 . doi: 10.1177/0038038517706325 Full text in Research Archive. Show summary

  We investigate the recruitment into the upper class, analysing the impact of different forms of capital and modes of closure. Unlike many Bourdieu-influenced approaches to class, we systematically investigate divisions by composition of capital: the relative weight of economic to cultural capital. We find capital-specific barriers to mobility: access to the upper class fractions is not only differentiated by one’s parents’ volume of capital or the general class hierarchy, but also by the relative weight of cultural to economic capital. Drawing on theories of social closure, we further investigate the role of two distinct modes of closure – credentialism and private property. The degree of closure differs significantly between subfractions of the upper class, based on the degree to which they refer to positions involving specific credential requirements. Our findings underline the importance of capital composition, but also that closure operates by neither credentials nor property alone.

• Ljunggren, Jørn; Toft, Maren & Flemmen, Magne (2017). Geografiske klasseskiller : Fordelingen av goder og byrder mellom Oslos bydeler, I: Jørn Ljunggren (red.),  Oslo - ulikhetenes by.  Cappelen Damm Akademisk.  ISBN 9788202521615.  Kapittel 17.  s 359 - 376
• Reeves, Aaron; Friedman, Sam; Rahal, Charles & Flemmen, Magne (2017). The Decline and Persistence of the Old Boy: Private Schools and Elite Recruitment 1897-2016. American Sociological Review.  ISSN 0003-1224.  82(6), s 1139- 1166 . doi: 10.1177/0003122417735742
• Schmitz, Andreas; Flemmen, Magne & Rosenlund, Lennart (2017). Social class, symbolic domination, and angst: The example of the Norwegian social space. Sociological Review.  ISSN 0038-0261.  66(3), s 623- 644 . doi: 10.1177/0038026117738924
• Flemmen, Magne & Hjellbrekke, Johannes (2016). Response: Not so fast: A comment on Atkinson and Deeming's 'Class and cuisine in contemporary Britain: The social space, the space of food and their homology'. Sociological Review.  ISSN 0038-0261.  64(1), s 184- 193 . doi: 10.1111/1467-954X.12350
• Flemmen, Magne (2014). The Politics of the Service Class: The homology of positions and position-takings. European Societies: The Official Journal of the European Sociological Association.  ISSN 1461-6696.  16(4), s 543- 569 . doi: 10.1080/14616696.2013.817597
• Flemmen, Magne (2014). The politics of the service class: The homology of positions and position-takings. European Societies: The Official Journal of the European Sociological Association.  ISSN 1461-6696.  16(4), s 543- 569 . doi: 10.1080/14616696.2013.817597
• Hansen, Marianne Nordli; Andersen, Patrick Lie; Flemmen, Magne & Ljunggren, Jørn (2014). Klasser og eliter, I: Olav Korsnes; Marianne Nordli Hansen & Johannes Hjellbrekke (red.),  Elite og klasse i et egalitært samfunn.  Universitetsforlaget.  ISBN 978-82-15-02183-6.  2.  s 25 - 38
• Flemmen, Magne (2013). Putting Bourdieu to work for class analysis: reflections on some recent contributions. British Journal of Sociology.  ISSN 0007-1315.  64(2), s 325- 343 . doi: 10.1111/1468-4446.12020
• Flemmen, Magne (2012). The Structure of the Upper Class: A Social Space Approach. Sociology.  ISSN 0038-0385.  46(6), s 1039- 1058 . doi: 10.1177/0038038512437899
• Flemmen, Magne (2010). Lukning i overklassen, I: Kenneth Dahlgren & Jørn Ljunggren (red.),  Klassebilder: Ulikhet og sosial mobilitet i Norge.  Universitetsforlaget.  ISBN 978-82-15-01580-4.  16.  s 228 - 239
• Flemmen, Magne (2009). Den økonomiske overklassens sosiale lukning. Tidsskrift for samfunnsforskning.  ISSN 0040-716X.  50(4), s 493- 522

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• Flemmen, Magne & Toft, Maren (2019). Sluttreplikk til Rogne om klasseforskning. sosiologen.no.
• Ljunggren, Jørn & Flemmen, Magne (2019). Klassesamfunnet 2.0.
• Flemmen, Magne (2018). Politiske skillelinjer blant arbeidere.
• Flemmen, Magne (2018). What does inequality do to us?.
• Flemmen, Magne; Jarness, Vegard & Rosenlund, Lennart (2018). Class gender intersections and the homology of social and symboloc space.
• Hansen, Marianne Nordli & Flemmen, Magne (2018). Agendakveld: Er Norge et klassesamfunn?.
• Toft, Maren & Flemmen, Magne (2018). Hvordan (ikke) studere klassesamfunnet. sosiologen.no.
• Toft, Maren & Flemmen, Magne (2018). Klassesamfunnet: graven er tom. sosiologen.no.
• Toft, Maren & Flemmen, Magne (2018). Klassestrukturen er ikke en målefeil. sosiologen.no.
• Toft, Maren & Flemmen, Magne (2017). Was class society really ever on the wane? Revisiting and reframing the 'Death of class' debate.
• Flemmen, Magne (2014). Book Review: Matt Dawson, Late Modernity, Individualization and Socialism: An Associational Critique of Neoliberalism. Sociology.  ISSN 0038-0385.  48(6), s 1242- 1244 . doi: 10.1177/0038038514547800
• Jarness, Vegard & Flemmen, Magne (2014). Revisiting Closure Theory.
• Flemmen, Magne (2013). Book Review: Class, Individualization and Late Modernity: In Search of the Reflexive Worker. Acta Sociologica.  ISSN 0001-6993.  56(2), s 192- 193 . doi: 10.1177/0001699313479855
• Flemmen, Magne (2013). Class, Individualization and Late Modernity: In Search of the Reflexive Worker - Will Atkinson. - Houndmills : Palgrave Macmillan, 2010. - VIII, 245 s. (Identity studies in the social sciences). Acta Sociologica.  ISSN 0001-6993.  56(2), s 192- 193 . doi: 10.1177/0001699313479855
• Flemmen, Magne (2013). Skjulte klasser i Danmark. Materialisten. Tidsskrift for forskning, fagkritikk og teoretisk debatt.  ISSN 0801-3055.  40(1/2), s 131- 142
• Flemmen, Magne & Ljunggren, Jørn (2013). Klasse-tabu. Dagbladet.  ISSN 0805-3766.  s 52- 53
• Flemmen, Magne & Ljunggren, Jørn (2013). Om klasse og kultur. Morgenbladet.  ISSN 0805-3847. . doi: http://morgenbladet.no/debatt/2013/om_klasse_og_kultur#.UTRFW3fLtyI
• Flemmen, Magne (2012). Bourdieu og korrespondanseanalyse. Socius.  ISSN 0809-5574.  (1), s 75- 76
• Flemmen, Magne (2012). Visjonær reformisme [anmeldelse av Michael Harringtons Socialism: Past and Future]. Klassekampen.  ISSN 0805-3839.
• Flemmen, Magne (2012). Vår tids viktigste sosiolog. Klassekampen.  ISSN 0805-3839.  s 22- 23
• Flemmen, Magne (2010). Den vanskelige distinksjonen. Anmeldelse av Tony Bennett m.fl. Culture, Class, Distinction. Agora : Journal for metafysisk spekulasjon.  ISSN 0800-7136.  28(3), s 235- 244
• Flemmen, Magne (2010). Om demokratipessimisme og sosiologiens rolle. Sosiologisk Tidsskrift.  ISSN 0804-0486.  18(4), s 379- 386
• Flemmen, Magne (2010). Overklassen som et sosialt rom. Utkast til en analyse.
• Flemmen, Magne (2009). Arbeidsløshet. Dagsavisen.  ISSN 1503-2892.
• Flemmen, Magne (2009). Class Structuration of Upper Class Love and Success.
• Flemmen, Magne (2009). Class Structuration of Upper Class Love and Success.
• Flemmen, Magne (2009). Constructing Classes In Official Statistics.
• Flemmen, Magne (2009). Grunnskolens klasseskiller. Dagsavisen.  ISSN 1503-2892.
• Flemmen, Magne (2009). Hijab midt i krisa. Dagsavisen.  ISSN 1503-2892.
• Flemmen, Magne (2009). Klassestrukturasjon av kjærlighet og suksess i overklassen.
• Flemmen, Magne (2009). Klimakolonialisme. Dagsavisen.  ISSN 1503-2892.
• Flemmen, Magne (2009). Marx og krisene. Dagsavisen.  ISSN 1503-2892.
• Flemmen, Magne (2009). Raddisjournalister. Dagsavisen.  ISSN 1503-2892.
• Flemmen, Magne (2009). Social closure of the economic upper class.
• Flemmen, Magne (2009). Solidaritet og hykleri. Dagsavisen.  ISSN 1503-2892.
• Flemmen, Magne (2009). Sosial lukning i den økonomiske overklassen.
• Flemmen, Magne (2009). Statussyndromet. Dagsavisen.  ISSN 1503-2892.
• Flemmen, Magne (2009). Structurations of upper class love and success.
• Flemmen, Magne (2009). Urettferdig. Klassekampen.  ISSN 0805-3839.
• Flemmen, Magne (2009). Utrygt samfunn. Dagsavisen.  ISSN 1503-2892.
• Flemmen, Magne (2009). Ytelsesmyten. Dagsavisen.  ISSN 1503-2892.
• Hansen, Marianne Nordli; Flemmen, Magne & Andersen, Patrick Lie (2009). The Oslo Register Data Class Scheme (ORDC). Final report from the classification procject. Memorandum from Department of Economics, University of Oslo. 1.
• Flemmen, Magne (2008). Den arvelige ulikheten. Dagsavisen.  ISSN 1503-2892.
• Flemmen, Magne (2008). Den nye overklassen. Aftenposten (morgenutg. : trykt utg.).  ISSN 0804-3116.
• Flemmen, Magne (2008). Eliten og eierne: En klasse for seg. Dagbladet.  ISSN 0805-3766.
• Flemmen, Magne (2008). Fem på Globaliseringskonferansen:. Klassekampen.  ISSN 0805-3839.
• Flemmen, Magne (2008). Klasseforskjell skaper ulikhet. Aftenposten (morgenutg. : trykt utg.).  ISSN 0804-3116.
• Flemmen, Magne (2008). Om lukkingen av overklassen. Dagbladet.  ISSN 0805-3766.
• Flemmen, Magne (2008). Sosial lukning i den økonomiske overklassen.
• Flemmen, Magne (2008). Tjener 50 ganger mer. Aftenposten (morgenutg. : trykt utg.).  ISSN 0804-3116.
• Flemmen, Magne (2008). Uren juss. Dagsavisen.  ISSN 1503-2892.
• Flemmen, Magne (2007). Middelklassemyter. Dagens næringsliv.  ISSN 0803-9372.

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