Class, Culture, and Consumption: Representations of Stratification in Post-communist Latvia

Abstract

Using the country of Latvia as a case study, I argue that socioeconomic classes and class stratification constituted in the context of post-communist capitalism are simultaneously denied and distinguished. Class was a central component of discourse in Soviet communism even though classes in their capitalist incarnation did not exist. With the advent of post-communism’s neoliberal capitalist order and the concurrent rise in stratification, the critical discourse of class has virtually disappeared from the mainstream. This silence is linked to a widespread rejection of the legacies of Soviet communism and associated institutions, symbols, and vocabularies. At the same time, stratified class positions are rendered apparent through the means of consumption. They are presented not in terms of class, but in terms of distinction, style, and lifestyle. The post-communist socioeconomic hierarchy is represented through a discourse derived from an uncritical (or anti-critical) consumer culture, which has produced a new cultural legitimacy for stratification.

The Notion of Social Class in Czech Political Discourse

“…Indeed, Ost [2009: 513-515] envisions the potential for the rehabilitation of the term 'class' in the post-communist environment, particularly in connection with the maturing of a new generation that does not see the term as negatively connected to the past. More recent writings on class discourse [Eglitis 2011;Gąsior-Niemiec et al 2009], though not focused on class in the discussion of politics, suggest that how the notion of class is understood in the discourse may be changing. Our analysis focuses on a single moment in time and, therefore, cannot make strong claims about the historical development of the discourse.…”

“…We may, however, guess that the discourse itself is changing and that the discussion of issues of class and inequality is more common now than it was in the early years of the transformation. In addition, because we focused on the discourse surrounding a recent political event, we can argue that in the Czech case the presence of the notion of class is not limited to areas such as lifestyle or housing; for instance, Eglitis [2011] claims that in Latvia class is denied in political discourse but is apparent in patterns of consumption and in the hierarchy of lifestyles. Gąsior-Niemiec and her collaborators [2009] document the emergence of class identities in Polish discourse on housing, with a focus on the issue of gated communities.…”

“…Inequalities are perceived as necessary (stemming from workers' socialist upbringing) and transient: women in working-class positions believed, in agreement with the free-market metanarrative, that the positions of their offspring would automatically improve with the success of economic reforms. In her study of Latvia, Eglitis [2011] contends that even though social hierarchy is apparent in the patterns of consumption and marketing, as a result of the communist past, class is rejected as a category of political discussion.…”

“…Some researchers have highlighted the ways in which talk about class is silenced or outright rejected in the discourse of post-communist countries [Balockaite 2009;Eglitis 2011;Ost 2000;Weiner 2007]. According to these authors, the leaders of transforming societies viewed class as a notion tied to the logic and ideology of state socialist regimes, and one that made no sense (or even posed a threat) in the newly attained conditions of freedom and democracy.…”

Do I Qualify for a Love Relationship? Social Norms and Long-Distance Relationships in Post-Soviet Latvia

“…However, Latvia remains one of the poorest countries in the EU (25th out of 28 EU member states by GDP per capita in Purchasing Power Standards, Eurostat a). Socio-economic inequalities have created a post-communist society that is hierarchically divided based on consumption and lifestyle (Eglitis 2011). Inequalities, unemployment and the recent financial crisis have contributed to a change in the migration patterns: once an immigration republic for workers in the Soviet Union, Latvia is now an emigration country (Mežs et al 2010).…”