Narrating Social Class in Polish Media: Discursive Strategies and Thematic Trends (2004-2024)

The aim of this paper is to explore how social classes have been discussed and represented in the media in Poland. We argue that the media plays a strategic role in the discursive construction of everyday understanding of social classes and the symbolic boundaries between them. Taking into account the potential changes in language and images of social inequalities over the years, the paper employs diachronic analysis.

Our primary research question is: What is the media discourse on social classes in Poland, and how has it evolved over time? To address this question, we analyzed articles published in selected print media between 2004 (the year of Poland's accession to the European Union) and 2024, focusing on topics related to social class. The diachronic analysis concentrated on thematic trends and in-depth discursive strategies used to represent social classes in popular weekly newspapers. Four media outlets were chosen to represent different target groups throughout the political spectrum. We employed Critical Discourse Analysis (van Dijk, 2009) to examine not only how social structures are narrated but also the potential influence of these narratives on shaping individuals' experiences and beliefs about social inequalities.

This presentation will address the main thematic trends and discursive strategies in the representation of social classes in the press. In addition to answering our central research question, we will also explore: (a) the main topics associated with social class representation in the media and how they have (or have not) changed over time, (b) which social classes are most frequently discussed, and (c) the primary discursive strategies used to represent these classes in the selected media.

This presentation forms part of a broader project on upward mobility and social reproduction in Poland, titled “RaM-CLASS. Class reproduction and mobility – biographical experiences in academic, artistic, and business fields” (2023-ongoing).