The German social space and its homologies: National variation on a basic structure

This article constructs a comprehensive new model of the contemporary class structure Germany. More specifically, inspired by Pierre Bourdieu’s geometric conception relations and drawing on original survey data, it adopts multiple correspondence analysis paired with cluster to chart German ‘social space’, that is, relational configuration key forms capital. It then explores correspondences occupational groups, ethnic other demographic features, lifestyle practices tastes. The results disclose specific structuring effects peculiarities distribution social power, including East–West reunification long-running guestworker programme. fundamentally, though, in its basic structure, space resembles mapped Bourdieu France those documented others elsewhere, suggesting common principles symbolic differentiation among Western capitalist societies.