Abstract
How is poverty discursively constituted, both as a category of thinking and as a label applied to particular social categories in times of austerity? How is it linked to social exclusion? Based on extensive fieldwork with representatives from 79 typical non-governmental organizations and informal initiatives of civil society in two Greek cities (Athens and Patras, in the periphery), this chapter explores the link between crisis, poverty and social exclusion. In their attempt to underline the marginalizing effects of austerity in Greece, civil society actors question previous assumptions about what constitutes poverty and exclusion in Greek society and offer important insights into the seemingly disparate practices and experiences among those classified as “poor” or “new excluded”.
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Notes
- 1.
To use Habermas’s words, ‘to conceive of a process as a crisis is tacitly to give it a normative meaning—the resolution of the crisis affects a liberation of the subject caught up in it’ (1975, 1–2).
- 2.
The primary document families-files (79 interviews each averaging seven pages) allowed us to group our data in eight categories. Memos have been added in order to capture some insights, but owing to the great number of comments, it was not possible to connect the memos directly to the data, and they were then linked to codes. The codes were grouped in three categories: (1) NGOs’ and emerging organizations’ codes, (2) argumentation patterns of civil society codes and (3) linguistic strategies’ codes. Each comment was designated as a quotation, and the codes were attached to the quotations. Finally, the visual representations of data (codes and quotations) have been used in order to explore connections in discourse analysis.
- 3.
Typical NGOs are characterized by a minimum of formalization, recognition and institutionalization by the state and have a legal status, whereas informal groups are self-governed collective actions or movements.
- 4.
Many researchers are tempted to follow Sen’s theory, promoting a conceptualization that takes into account the specific needs and desires of people. However, these needs are not absolute and they are defined with difficulty in times of crisis. Our approach attempts to be objective, not relying on subjectivity and individual capabilities . We argue that in period of crisis, where emergency issues exist, prompt responses at a global level must be given regarding inequalities.
- 5.
Public schools and universities in Greece are free and there are no tuition fees. The teaching of foreign languages is included yet is considered by the majority of the Greek parents to be unsatisfactory, a fact that explains the widespread operation of private foreign-language teaching centres.
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Zafiropoulou, M., Theodosiou, A., Pérez, A. (2018). Civil Society Discourses on Poverty and Social Exclusion During the Greek Crisis. In: Katsikas, D., Sotiropoulos, D., Zafiropoulou, M. (eds) Socioeconomic Fragmentation and Exclusion in Greece under the Crisis. New Perspectives on South-East Europe. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68798-8_7
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