This book analyses the language that ordinary people employ when discussing money, debt and financial behaviour. It documents and critiques this language from an array of disciplinary perspectives, with chapters on childrens books, government infomercials, television poverty porn, the emotional experience of being indebted, and more. In doing so, it addresses common underlying questions concerning definitions of money and value, and scrutinises how people construct, negotiate and articulate meaning in these domains. This wide-ranging edited collection will be of interest to students and scholars of linguistics, sociology, communication, literature and anthropology.
Introduction: The View from the Ground: Annabelle Mooney and Evi Sifaki
Part I: Money and Childhood
2: Stories of value: The nature of money in three classic British picture books: Astrid Van den Bossche
3: The treatment of money and wealth in the Harry Potter series: Tanweer Ali and Eva Lebduakov?
Part II: Money and the Everyday
4: Money Talk at the Mass Observation Archive: Liz Moor
5: Snudging Cheapskates and Magnificent Profusion: The Conceptual Baggage of 'mean' and 'generous': Annabelle Mooney and Evi Sifaki
6: Neoliberalism in the academy: Have you drunk the Kool-Aid?: Liz Morrish
7: Falling Behind: Debtors' Emotional Relationships to Creditors: Anna Custers
Part III: Money and the Media
8: The language of Welfare dependency and Benefit Cheats : Internalising and reproducing the hegemonic and discursive rhetoric of benefit scroungers: Chris Roberts
9: Does money talk equate to class talk? Audience responses to poverty porn in relation to money and debt.: Laura L. Paterson, David Peplow and Karen GraingerlóÇ