The Marginalised Class in Germany

The term 'marginalisation' has been part of the standard vocabulary of sociological research for several decades. It indicates that issues of social inequality go beyond material resources. Relational and social references, questions of belonging, are gaining in importance and complementing traditional 'vertical' inequality research. In many cases, marginalisation is even seen as 'the' social issue of the twenty-first century. The (economic) relationship between 'above and below' has been replaced by the (cultural) relationship between 'inside and outside'. However, the 'old' question of social classes is by no means passé.

Against this background, I define marginalisation as a class concept and look at marginalised people in Germany. For even in rich nations, marginalisation still exists. The marginalised live at the bottom of society. In the first place, they are not exploited - because they do not even have the necessary capital. Worse, they are excluded from all social structures. They live below the line of dignity. This line marks ideas of social order and forms a dualism of the acceptable and the unacceptable, the normal and the deviant. I show what ideas and perceptions prevail among people who live below this line. I also show how people perceive their position, how they deal with it and how conscious they are of their situation. The perception of others and of oneself in the class of the marginalised can be understood as symbolic boundaries.