Life Chances. Where are the Middle Classes Drifting Toward?

Steffen Mau, in conversation with Heinz Bude, presents his new book Lebenschancen (Suhrkamp 2012). Moderation: Ulrike Herrmann (taz)

The middle classes? Really, they comprise (for the time being, anyway) most of us. They may be a heterogeneous group but all members share a sense of increasingly coming under pressure. They are shrinking, faced with growing inequalities and exhausting competition. Education is no longer a guarantee for a successful career and the belief in collective self-improvement belongs to the past.

Heinz Bude, Ulrike Herrmann und Steffen Mau discuss the situation facing the middle classes and to what extent policy-makers can open up new avenues of opportunity and create a mentality of optimism, courage and (self-)confidence.