Discussion of Culture of Poverty

Discussion of Culture of Poverty

            For the past several decades, the culture of poverty has been a topic of discussion for researchers, sociologists, and economists, among others. The culture of poverty theory says that persistence of poverty is attributable to the poor themselves, saying that as individuals they are to blame for their own poverty, or as groups they develop a culture of poverty that creates their poverty. Oscar Lewis, the anthropologist who originated the concept of the culture of poverty, defined it “as a set of values, attitudes, and behaviors that are essentially different from those of the middle class, and which are adopted in reaction to circumstances that do not allow the poor to be integrated into society”. The theory purports that individuals in poverty are capitalizing on the free and available resources provided to poorer communities, as opposed to using them to improve their socioeconomic status. It is assumed that individuals stuck in poverty will feel inferior, won’t participate in a community, and focus only on living in the present, paradigms which are then passed to the next generation.

            After Lewis’ initial theory was put forth, the definition of the culture of poverty evolved to be less comprehensive and made a clear distinction between values and behavior. Experts felt that Lewis and his contemporaries had “confused individuals with social structure, and symptoms with causes” (McDermott). Many researchers didn’t feel that culture could be used to evaluate individuals in poverty, since there are so many contributing factors. These elements are difficult to quantify and establish empirically supported evidence around, particularly when it comes to understanding the poverty cycle and how some individuals participate in social mobility. This updated understanding of culture separates the reality of how individuals live from what they believe and value. Although this places less blame on people in poverty and can be easier to measure, it fails to establish a shared definition of what contributes to culture, since it is less all-encompassing and harder to characterize.

            However, in recent years, scholars are finding that “culture is back on the poverty research agenda” and needs to be unpacked and better defined after being viewed as a “black box” in research (Small). Ignoring culture and its impact can lead to bad policy decisions, a lack of understanding of why people cope with poverty, and failure to identify why escaping poverty is different for each person.

            Although there is still a variety of definitions of culture, several viewpoints have been identified that can help narrow the field of research. New perspectives give us language around “values, frames, repertoires, narratives, cultural capital, symbolic boundaries, and institutions” (Small). For future research, these factors can help explain the premise that “individuals perceive the same events differently based on their prior experiences and understandings” (Small). This new mentality emphasizes the “cultural factors” that “account for response to poverty in varying situations” (McDermott). Although poverty is a global issue, it is not the same across countries, religions, or geographical areas, and individuals experience it in a unique way, based on their life circumstances.

            As research continues to expand on theories that are criticized for blaming the victim or making blanket assumptions about race, net worth, or family dynamics, scholars will continue to find ways to better define and analyze how culture changes life circumstances.

Pertinent Works:
Duvoux, Nicolas. “The Culture of Poverty Reconsidered.” La Vie Des Idées.fr. 2010. https://booksandideas.net/IMG/pdf/20101005_duvoux_EN.pdf

Small, Mario Luis, David J. Harding, Michéle Lamont. “Reconsidering Culture and Poverty.” The Annals. 2010. https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/lamont/files/reconsidering_culture_and_poverty_2.pdf

McDermott, Ray & Shirin Vossoughi. “The culture of poverty, again.” Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1080/15595692.2020.1733960

Conference Delayed

The 6th Annual Oxford Conference on Business and Poverty - Housing has been postponed until July 27-28, 2022.

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