Class and Politics: Why Has Social Class Disappeared from Political Debate?

Why do politicians rarely talk about class anymore? Social class remains one of the strongest influences on people's life chances, shaping everything from income and education to health and housing. Yet despite its continuing importance, class has become far less visible in political language and public debate.In this episode, Professor Stephen Coleman explores the changing role of class in political communication and asks why discussions of inequality are often framed in terms of aspiration, opportunity or identity rather than social class itself. What has happened to the language of class? Why has it become less prominent in mainstream politics? And what might be lost when politicians stop talking about class and economic inequality?Joining Stephen is Professor Andrew Sayer, one of Britain's leading social theorists and an influential scholar of class, inequality and social justice. Together, they examine how political language shapes public understanding of inequality and consider what the disappearance of class from political discourse reveals about contemporary politics.This episode explores social class, political communication, inequality, political language, public opinion, social mobility and the role of language in shaping political debate.Guest: Professor Andrew SayerPresenter: ⁠⁠Professor Stephen Coleman⁠⁠Producer: ⁠⁠Carl Hartley⁠⁠We'd love to hear from you. Share your thoughts, suggest topics to cover, or ask questions. Leave a comment below or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thesoundofpolitics.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. And if you like this podcast then please follow to be the first to hear when a new episode is released. The Sound of Politics is a podcast about political communication, political rhetoric, political leadership, democracy, public opinion and the language of politics. Hosted by Professor Stephen Coleman, each episode explores how politics is communicated and how citizens can better understand it.