Privilege and Anxiety: The Korean Middle Class in the Global Era

Hagen Koo's book "Privilege and Anxiety" explores how global economic change has impacted the Korean middle class, creating a divide between the affluent and the struggling majority. The affluent middle class seeks to maintain their privilege and pass it onto their children, leading to anxiety for both the winners and losers of neoliberal globalization.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 162 pages
Publication date: 21 June 2022
Publisher: Cornell University Press

In his book "Privilege and Anxiety," Hagen Koo delves into the profound transformations that have impacted the Korean middle class during the era of neoliberal globalization. Koo demonstrates that global economic change has brought about far-reaching changes that extend beyond mere economic decline and shrinking size to this class.

Globalization has introduced a polarizing axis into the middle class, creating a divide between a small minority that benefits from the globalized economy and a vast majority that suffers from its effects. This internal differentiation generates a complex dynamic within Korean society, as the newly affluent strive to establish a distinct and privileged class position, distancing themselves from the rest of the middle class.

Koo's book explores these tensions through three critical areas: consumption and lifestyle, residential differentiation, and education. In each of these domains, the dominant mindset of the affluent middle class revolves around preserving their newfound privilege and ensuring its inheritance to their children. Their practices and attitudes, Koo argues, evoke significant anxiety among both the beneficiaries and the losers of neoliberal globalization.

The book offers a thought-provoking analysis of the complex interplay between privilege, anxiety, and social change in contemporary Korean society. It sheds light on the struggles and challenges faced by the middle class as they navigate the rapidly evolving economic and social landscape. Through his insightful observations and compelling arguments, Koo provides valuable insights into the dynamics of class formation, social inequality, and the implications of global economic forces on local communities.

Weight: 252g
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501764943