Beyond anomie: The social and political consciousness of marginalized people

The political capacity of marginalized people to act has long been a recurring topic in political and public discourse. While a substantial body of scholarship has documented everyday forms of resistance, informal solidarity, and collective organization among marginalized groups, public debates and parts of the academic literature continue to portray them as politically disengaged, or incapable of collective action. This article contributes to that debate by examining how marginalized people themselves understand their social and political situation. Drawing on interviews with marginalized people in Germany, I show that their consciousness is divided among three forms – social, individual, and political – from which no singular pattern of political capacity can be inferred. Rather than revealing either political passivity or agency, the findings point to a diverse range of orientations, including resignation, individual coping strategies, informal solidarity, and political engagement. The article argues that understanding how these forms of consciousness coexist and interact provides a more nuanced account of the possibilities of politicization among marginalized groups.