Material Poverty and Symbolic Precarity

Viewing material poverty as a cultural phenomenon expands the possibilities for understanding in psychological and sociological poverty research. This chapter explains how the phenomenon of poverty can be viewed from a cultural psychological perspective. The question of the symbolic precarity associated with material poverty and how individuals in poverty situations deal with this is considered central. Empirically, the negotiation of symbolic precarity can be studied in self-narratives, in which individuals construct and present personal identity by positioning themselves as subjects, connecting to culturally intelligible and morally recognizable master narratives, and potentially investing in counter narratives. The potential of the cultural psychological perspective is illustrated using an empirical example. Finally, methodological suggestions are provided.