Introduction

Abstract

How we think about inequality is determined by the ways the gap between the rich and the poor is depicted in the media. This introduction examines the politics of representation through the lens of three indigent individuals whose stories have received unprecedented media coverage. Lemke distinguishes three narrative frameworks shaping the public’s understanding of poverty: the binary of “the undeserving and the deserving,” the “culture of poverty” thesis, and the “systemic failure” thesis. To expand our epistemology of poverty and inequality, Lemke introduces the concept of precarity and precariousness. The primary texts at the heart of each the following chapters reveal specific elements of precariousness: the economic, the social, the generic, the formal, and the socio-cultural.