The creation and selling of fashion, taste, style, and the arts of living well is the domain of the new petit bourgeoisie. Today, the establishment of culturally infused micro-enterprises - food production, hip design, bespoke fashion, and health and body services - is a source of status but also a livelihood strategy for young people negotiating the combined structural effects of neo-liberalism, de-industrialization and austerity policies. Who then comprises this Twenty First Century new petit bourgeoisie? What are their social origins and experiences? How do they perform social mobility using material and cultural resources? And how are these enterprises distributed throughout cities and regions?

Revisiting and updating Bourdieu's classic account, Cultural Entrepreneurs in the Age of Austerity: Remaking the New Petite Bourgeoisie maps the different sub-groups within this emerging class faction, bringing to life the contemporary experiences of this fluid and vibrant social class. Drawing on mixed methods and extensive empirical research across Australia, this book explores how cultural micro-enterprises become vehicles for class mobility. Scott argues that, although dripping in cultural capital, access to economic and material resources remains the main factor producing social mobility. The rich findings will be of interest to researchers and students across sociology and human geography.