Summary

For decades, the concept of class was considered dead, especially the idea of a working class.

This collection of essays demonstrates that class – in all its complexity – is very much alive and has been crucial in the framing of Australian history.

Inequality, as the editors state, has rarely been so stark. The book goes beyond simplistic labels such as "battlers" and "quiet Australians" and examines the colonial era and the rise of class through the increase of populism and the problematic "bogan" label.

One of the authors, Larissa Behrendt, discusses the rise of the First Nations middle class.

At a time of deepening inequality, Class in Australia brings together a range of new and original research for a timely examination of class relations, labour exploitation, and the changing formations of work in contemporary Australian society.