Sociology: Social Stratification & Street Food – Class, Ethnicity & Generational Distinctions With Dr Alex Rhys-Taylor From Goldsmiths, University of London
In this Sociology session, Dr Alex Rhys-Taylor, Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head of the Department of Sociology at Goldsmiths, University of London, will run an interactive talk for students on Social Stratification and Street Food: Class, Ethnicity and Generational Distinctions.
How does social stratification by gender, class and age actually take place? What is it about our social world that closes off opportunities for some, while opening up opportunities for others? By what mechanisms is social stratification reproduced?
Of course, financial wealth, education and family connections all play their role. But so does culture. The culture that each of us inhabits – including our tastes and distastes – shape the way in which we make sense of one another, as well as the assumptions that are made about us.
This session will look specifically at food cultures (specifically, street food in East London, from jellied eels to fried chicken shops), and their role within racialised and class-based processes of social stratification. We will also look at the relationship between social mobility, and generational differences in food culture.