The Construction Of Symbolic Consumption And The Identity Of The Middle Class

At present, with the deepening of the market economy and the continuous development and social transformation, the areas of China’s political, economic, cultural and other is undergoing dramatic changes, this change also brought a series of differentiation and integration of hierarchical structure, one of the significant identification is rapidly growing middle class, which also led to the government, academia and the public full attention on the middle class. As a national institution, the product of economic development and social transformation combined effects of the emergence of the middle class is not easy, but through a certain process of development. Quite different from the Western middle class background of the rise of China’s middle class, with the surging tide of reform and opening up and rise, after three decades of rapid development, and today’s middle class has become an important component of China’s class structure. From a sociological point of view, the middle class has an important structural function and role of the middle class is not only an important force to promote economic development, but also a necessary condition for maintaining social stability plays in benign operation and coordination of the development process of an important social Character. Although the size and the number of Chinese middle class is not great, not yet formed in the middle of a large modern sense, is characterized by two small "olive" social structure, yet to play its due role and function, but we can not therefore deny or ignore the potential power of the Chinese middle class. We can say that it is because of the great role of the middle class in the society running and healthy development, and related topics to explore on the middle class is always thinking of many sociologists painstaking topic.This study focused on the middle class is not elsewhere, but the use of symbols of consumer society from the perspective of luxury consumption theory focuses on the middle symbol consumption and identity construction problems. Looking back on both academic research, whether it is research on the middle class, or the study of the relationship between consumption and class segment, scholars mostly based on Marx’s perspective and the perspective of Weber’s analysis of the middle class, even if there are Western scholars have noted the inherent association between consumption and class division, but more elaborate Western society is based on the experience carried out, the symbol of the Chinese middle class consumption and identity construction of much concern. For this reason, this study on the basis of fully absorb and learn from the existing research results, based on actual Chinese middle class, integrated use of sociological theory of symbolic consumption of the middle class and identity issues in-depth analysis of the construction bid on the basis of the integration of existing research paradigm on the identity of the new dimension of the middle class that is a symbol of luxury consumption, especially consumption comprehensive interpretation and grasp.This study is based on the particular perspective of symbolic consumption of luxury goods consumption identity issues to examine the construction of the middle class, not only has important theoretical significance and practical significance self-evident. On the one hand, the sign is an important dimension of luxury consumption, especially consumption, as middle-class identity construction can index a considerable extent by the Marxist school of their school and Weber emphasized, thus avoiding the description of a single paradigm middle of limitations and one-sidedness, allowing the middle class lifestyle, wealth, ability, social prestige and so forth and make a relatively complete description. On the other hand, it is realistic sense, the symbol of luxury goods consumption, especially to define the social status of the middle class, can be achieved to some extent, leading to public consumption, thereby achieving stimulating domestic demand and promoting economic development realistic goal.