The short life of the new middle classes in Portugal

Alice Duarte

Abstract

This article is based on research addressing the process of consumption as a cultural practice, i.e., the goods and services consumed are equated in terms of their re-socialization by social actors. The research scope covered 24 households from Portugal’s urban middle class, and the methodology involved long interviews and ethnography. This text explains some consumption practices and correlative cultural expressions of the new Portuguese middle classes, which confirms their very recent expansion, as well as their undeniable weakness, particularly financial. The strong tendency of this social segment for the simply remediado (person or family in average, modest, financial situation, just enough for their needs), together with the current financial crisis, point to a rather short life for Portugal’s new middle classes.