Cultural Influence

Stratum, Class, Milieu

Social origin has many names. In additional to biological origin, i.e., our genes, we also receive a social backpack at birth to carry with us through life. Working class district or noble villa, secondary school or university – our social origin is decisive. Money and education are major factors here and often enter into an ominous alliance: poor financial resources mean less education possibilities, while a lower educational level usually results in lower earnings. Depending on the society, classes and strata are permeable to varying degrees. Equal education for everyone, therefore, is the prerequisite for the removal of class differences.

Class Society

Karl Marx (1818–1883) coined the term class society in the 19^th century. Marx divides society into two: the ruling class (bourgeoisie) and the exploited class (proletariat). Marx also based the class struggle on this differentiation. A central aspect of his analyses is the oppression of the factory workers in the rapidly expanding industrial sector. Over the course of the 20^th century, the class struggle lost in significance due to individualisation and the variety of lifestyles. Instead, milieu and social stratum became socially important concepts.

Fine Feathers make Fine Birds

Marx’ understanding of class is based primarily on economic conditions. The French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu (1930-2002) included other cultural and social conditions and coined the term “habitus” for this. Habitus embraces a person’s whole demeanour, including lifestyle, language, clothes or taste.

Habitus is not congenital, but rather learned during interaction with one’s social environment. Habitus can change over the course of one’s life as a result of education, experience, etc.

Given that social origin is closely connected with financial circumstances, it is often associated with certain forms of housing and residential districts. Extreme examples of this are slums or favelas, as opposed to wealthy urban districts and gated communities.

During the Apartheid era (1948–1994) population groups in South Africa were separated according to skin colour, and non-white people were settled in so-called townships. Buffer zones were erected between the districts. The great density of people, the inadequate sanitary installations and the simplest of housing in these townships led to partly slum-like conditions.

Even though South Africa initiated urban measures to combat poverty and exclusion after it was democratised, the constantly growing populations in the townships are still one of the country’s greatest problems today.

Zanele Muholi is from the Umlazi Township in Durban. This is the fourth largest township in South Africa. It was built in 1950 in the KwaZulu homeland to provide the south-west white industrial region with workers.

Documentation of forced removals in Newlands Durban in 1986 under apartheid legislation, photo: Deseni Soobben:
From the 1960s through the 1980s, more than 3.5 million South Africans were forcibly relocated. Soobben took photographs for Afrapix, a photographers’ collective and agency founded in South Africa in 1982, which encouraged its members to use photography as activism. Such images were sought-after for overseas unionists and activists supporting the struggle against anti-apartheid.

Belief

Social origin and faith have much in common. Both are given to us by our parents, and we can change both, whereby departure from the given path can have serious consequences. It can mean the loss of family and milieu. However what we get in return is a new faith community.

Although many states have stipulated religious freedom in their constitutions, people are discriminated against all over the world due to their faith. It is usually a minority, and they are affected by ostracism, reprisals and even persecution.