Biography and Social Exclusion in Europe : Experiences and Life Journeys

Based on 250 life-story interviews in seven European Union countries, Biography and social exclusion in Europe: analyses personal struggles against social exclusion to illuminate local milieus and changing welfare regimes and contexts; points to challenging new agendas for European politics and welfare, beyond the rhetoric of communitarianism and the New Deal; vividly illustrates the lived experience and environmental complexity working for and against structural processes of social exclusion; refashions the interpretive tradition as a teaching and research tool linking macro and micro realities. ·· Students, academic teachers and professional trainers, practitioners, politicians, policy makers and researchers in applied and comparative welfare fields will all benefit from reading this book. Based On 250 Life-story Interviews In Seven Eu Countries, This Text Analyses Personal Struggles Against Social Exclusion And Highlights How They Are Affected By Changing Welfare Regimes. It Emphasises The Ethnic, Gender, Generation And Class Implications Of Economic And Social Deregulation. 1. Introduction: From Biography To Social Policy / Michael Rustin And Prue Chamberlayne -- 2. Suffering The Fall Of The Berlin Wall: Blocked Journeys In Spain And Germany / William Hungerbuhler, Elisabet Tejero And Laura Torrabadella -- 3. Guilty Victims: Social Exclusion In Contemporary France / Numa Murard -- 4. Premodernity And Postmodernity In Southern Italy / Antonella Spano -- 5. A Tale Of Class Differences In Contemporary Britain / Michael Rustin -- 6. The Shortest Way Out Of Work / Numa Murard -- 7. Male Journeys Into Uncertainty / Elisabeth Ioannidi-kapolou And Elizabeth Mestheneos -- 8. Love And Emancipation / Birgitta Thorsell -- 9. Female Identities In Late Modernity / Antonella Spano -- 10. Gender And Family In The Development Of Greek State And Society / Elizabeth Mestheneos And Elisabeth Ioannidi-kapolou -- 11. Corporatist Structures And Cultural Diversity In Sweden / Martin Peterson -- 12. 'migrants': A Target-category For Social Policy? Experiences Of First-generation Migration / Roswitha Breckner -- 13. Second-generation Transcultural Lives / Prue Chamberlayne -- 14. Biographical Work And Agency Innovation: Relationships, Reflexivity And Theory-in-use / Tom Wengraf -- 15. Conclusions: Social Transitions And Biographical Work / Prue Chamberlayne -- App. A. Discovering Biographies In Changing Social Worlds: The Biographical-interpretive Method / Roswitha Breckner And Susanne Rupp -- App. B. Historicising The 'socio', Theory, And The Constant Comparative Method / Tom Wengrof. Edited By Prue Chamberlayne, Michael Rustin And Tom Wengraf With Roswitha Breckner ... [et Al.]. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Based on 250 life-story interviews in seven European Union countries, Biography and social exclusion in Europe: analyses personal struggles against social exclusion to illuminate local milieus and changing welfare regimes and contexts; points to challenging new agendas for European politics and welfare, beyond the rhetoric of communitarianism and the New Deal; vividly illustrates the lived experience and environmental complexity working for and against structural processes of social exclusion; refashions the interpretive tradition as a teaching and research tool linking macro and micro realities. · · Students, academic teachers and professional trainers, practitioners, politicians, policy makers and researchers in applied and comparative welfare fields will all benefit from reading this book.Based on 250 life-story interviews in seven European Union countries, Biography and social exclusion in Europe: analyses personal struggles against social exclusion to illuminate local milieus and changing welfare regimes and contexts; points to challenging new agendas for European politics and welfare, beyond the rhetoric of communitarianism and the New Deal; vividly illustrates the lived experience and environmental complexity working for and against structural processes of social exclusion; refashions the interpretive tradition as a teaching and research tool linking macro and micro realities. · · Students, academic teachers and professional trainers, practitioners, politicians, policy makers and researchers in applied and comparative welfare fields will all benefit from reading this book BIOGRAPHY AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION IN EUROPE Contents Abbreviations Acknowledgements Notes on contributors Introduction Suffering the fall of the Berlin Wall Guilty victims Premodernity and postmodernity in Southern Italy A tale of class differences in contemporary Britain The shortest way out of work Male journeys into uncertainty Love and emancipation Female identities in late modernity Gender and family in the development of Greek state and society Corporatist structures and cultural diversity in Sweden ‘Migrants’ Second-generation transcultural lives Biographical work and agency innovation Conclusions APPENDIX A APPENDIX B Index Throughout Europe, standardised approaches to social policy and practice are being radically questioned and modified. Beginning from the narrative detail of individual lives, this book re-thinks welfare predicaments, emphasising gender, generation, ethnic and class implications of economic and social deregulation.