Introduction
Classism refers to discrimination against an individual or a group on the basis of social class. Despite a long history of classism in many of the world’s cultures, psychologists have not given much attention to this form of discrimination until relatively recently. Current scholarship and practice includes documentation of classism and its effects, critical analyses that situate classism within power relations, and proposals for incorporating class awareness into clinicians’ training and practice. Although psychologists have a long way to go to make the study of classism as integral to psychology as the study of other “-isms” (e.g., sexism, racism), there is a growing awareness of its importance.
Definition
The term “classism” is typically used to describe discrimination against low-income groups or individuals, but can also be applied to discrimination against those with moderate or high incomes (see “Critical Debates” below for more on this point). Classism can take a...
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Limbert, W., Williams, W.R. (2014). Classism. In: Teo, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5583-7_43
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