Family feelings: affective ties and the reproduction of wealth in super-rich families

Rising wealth inequalities, concentrated in the hands of a few super-rich families, have recently sparked sociological interest in how these families sustain and legitimise their wealth across generations. Yet, few studies have gained access to the life-worlds of these families to examine their wealth infrastructures, family dynamics and perceptions. Drawing on 14 in-depth interviews with members of two super-rich German families, as well as personal and legal documents, the study investigates the affective dimensions integral to the perpetuation of dynastic wealth. I argue that these families have persisted as units of economic production across different phases of capitalism, adjusting their modes of economic, social and legal reproduction by tying family and capital relations closely together. Simultaneously, the cultural ideal of the family as a place of love, emotionality and care has and still does profoundly shape how these families organise and manage wealth reproduction. By tracing their wealth trajectories, the analysis highlights how super-rich families adapt their affective and economic strategies to preserve elite status over generations. The article advances debates on wealth inequality by showing how managing family feelings plays a critical role in wealth reproduction, revealing how these dynamics shape both family life and broader patterns of social inequality.