Unveiling Classism: The Potential of Experiential-Based Reflection in Transforming Perceptions

Natalia Amaya, Allison Benson, Juan José Rojas and Renata Serna Hosie
Additional contact information
Natalia Amaya: Fundación Prolongar
Allison Benson: Acción Pública Community Think Tank, Colombia.
Juan José Rojas: Acción Pública Community Think Tank, Colombia.
Renata Serna Hosie: Fundación Prolongar

No 2025-33, Documentos CEDE from Universidad de los Andes, Facultad de Economía, CEDE

Abstract: Classism remains an understudied and often underquestioned form of discrimination. Comprehending the way in which classism is perceived, lived, and challenged is an important step towards transforming this social reality. To analyze how individuals conceptualize classism and how awareness of classism can be increased, we carried out a labin- the-field experiment in Colombia. Drawing on literature that highlights the potential of education, narratives, and the arts to challenge discriminatory biases, we designed two interventions and tested their effects on perceptions around classism. The first intervention fostered out-ward looking reflections on classism through the narratives of characters depicted in a unique documentary about social class. We designed a second intervention to stimulate inward looking reflections by guiding participants through an immersive experience using artistic tools—such as visual arts, storytelling and movement. Our findings show that, despite their brevity, both interventions effectively increased awareness of classism. We measured awareness as an individually-relevant issue and as a socially-relevant issue, and found statistically significant effects in both cases. These results contribute to the literature on social perceptions of discrimination, classism, and awareness-building, and provide evidence of the potential of reflective tools using narrative and the arts to foster social change.

Keywords: Classism; inequality; perceptions; arts-based experiments; Colombia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D63 D91 I31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 37
Date: 2025-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp
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Published in Documentos CEDE - Universidad de los Andes

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:col:000089:021686

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