Distinction among middle classes: A qualitative study on the members of two tennis clubs in İzmir, Turkey

---

Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi, Siyaset Bilimi ve Kamu Yönetimi Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2017

Öğrenci: HANDE UZ

Danışman: ÖZGÜR AVCI

Özet:

In this study, we analyzed how the process of distinction functioned and accrued within the cultural consumption practices of the individuals that are from different middle class fractions. The research question of the study is “How does „the mechanism of distinction‟ function between members of different fractions of middle class in contemporary Turkey?” The main theoretical focal point of this study is the sociology of Pierre Bourdieu. Additionally, we also theoretically benefitted from Erving Goffman‟s sociology on the self presentation in everyday life and Thorstein Veblen‟s conceptualization on conspicuous consumption of „leisure class‟. The method of the research is qualitative; its sampling method is non-random, which is non-representative sampling. The researcher used snowball method and made semi- structured in depth interviews with thirty-one participants who are members of different tennis clubs in Izmir that have different qualities. We analyzed the data we obtained through the method of qualitative content analysis. In conclusion of this study, we saw that cultural practices that middle classes had developed a homogenous tendency comparing themselves with the lower classes, and they differentiate themselves among each other by means of different forms, volume and composition of capital they own.