Invisible boundaries within the middle class and the construction of ethnic identity

ABSTRACT

This article explores the integration of ethnic minorities into the middle class in a novel way. Current literature examines the existence of boundaries and the ways they construct ethnic identifications through visible acts. One line of research perceives the middle class as a homogenizing platform that lowers residential segregation and labor market discrimination, while another demonstrates how stereotypes and an occupational glass ceiling continue to operate, reinforcing minorities’ ethnic identifications. By contrast, this article demonstrates the significance of invisible boundaries for the study of ethnicity in the middle class. I center on the ways whereby microaggression, namely tacit everyday insults, signifies an ethnic difference between middle-class adolescents. Analyzing adolescents’ narratives shows how the classification of spaces has given rise in minority adolescents to inner experiences of incongruence and subordination. By constructing an ethnic identity that prevents adolescents perceiving themselves as middle-class subjects, invisible boundaries reinforce the ethno-class order.

KEYWORDS:

• Ethnicity
• middle class
• invisible boundaries
• assimilation
• adolescents
• microaggression

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Avyhu Shoshana, Orna Sasson-Levi, Nissim Mizrachi and theanonymous reviewers for their thought-provoking comments. I wish to express mygratitude to Abraham Avigdor, Sharon Erlichman, Luba Tozinski, Revital Neyfris and Michal Toledano for their kindness and support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Because microassault is conscious and deliberate acts it is not the focus of this article.

2. The North of Tel Aviv is a middle-class and prestigious residential area.

3. The south of Tel Aviv is a lower-class residential area.

4. Givatayim is a middle-class city. It is perceived as a prestigious residential area.

5. Jachnun is rolled and baked dough, which originates in Yemen.

6. Raanana is a prestigious middle class city.

7. Couscous is a North African dish.