| Revision as of 11:59, 14 April 2003 editFred Bauder (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users46,115 edits a recent book which address United States class distinctions← Previous edit | Revision as of 14:16, 29 May 2003 edit undo136.201.147.134 (talk)No edit summaryNext edit → | ||
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| A '''social class''' is a group of people that have similar ] and ] status. | A '''social class''' is a group of people that have similar ] and ] status. | ||
| At various times division of society into classes had various level of support from ]. | At various times division of society into classes had various level of support from ]. | ||
| On one opposite of this were old ] classes - ]s, which one could neither enter after birth, nor leave. (Though this is the case only in relatively recent history.) On the other are classes in modern Western societies, which are very fluid and have little support from law. | On one opposite of this were old ] classes - ]s, which one could neither enter after birth, nor leave. (Though this is the case only in relatively recent history.) On the other are classes in modern Western societies, which are very fluid and have little support from law. When sociologists speak of class they usually mean economically based classes in modern or near pre-modern society. | ||
| ] explain history in terms of a ] between a rich, privileged class which possessed the ] (]), and a poor, unprivileged class (]), which actually produced, while the fruits of the work were being mostly taken by members of the privileged class. | ] explain history in terms of a ] between a rich, privileged class which possessed the ] (]), and a poor, unprivileged class (]), which actually produced, while the fruits of the work were being mostly taken by members of the privileged class. | ||
| The sociologist ] formulated a three-component theory of stratification, with class, status and party (or politics) as conceptually distinct elements. Class is based on relationship to the market (owner, rentier, employee etc.). Status has to do with honour and prestige, while party refers to factors having to do with affiliations in the political domain. All three dimensions have consequences for what Weber called "life chances". | |||
| See also: | See also: | ||
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| *] | *] | ||
| The concept of caste is distinct from class, and refers to rigid status | |||
| Particular social class groups: | |||
| groupings, the membership of which is usually inherited. Particular caste groups: | |||
| * the ] of ] | * the ] of ] | ||
| * the ] of ] | * the ] of ] | ||
Revision as of 14:16, 29 May 2003
A social class is a group of people that have similar social and economic status.
At various times division of society into classes had various level of support from law. On one opposite of this were old Indian classes - castes, which one could neither enter after birth, nor leave. (Though this is the case only in relatively recent history.) On the other are classes in modern Western societies, which are very fluid and have little support from law. When sociologists speak of class they usually mean economically based classes in modern or near pre-modern society.
Marxists explain history in terms of a war of classes between a rich, privileged class which possessed the Means of production (bourgeoisie), and a poor, unprivileged class (proletariat), which actually produced, while the fruits of the work were being mostly taken by members of the privileged class.
The sociologist Max Weber formulated a three-component theory of stratification, with class, status and party (or politics) as conceptually distinct elements. Class is based on relationship to the market (owner, rentier, employee etc.). Status has to do with honour and prestige, while party refers to factors having to do with affiliations in the political domain. All three dimensions have consequences for what Weber called "life chances".
See also:
The concept of caste is distinct from class, and refers to rigid status groupings, the membership of which is usually inherited. Particular caste groups:
- the Burakumin of Japan
- the untouchables of India
For other meaning of word class, see Class.
Further Reading
- Consumer's Republic, Lizabeth Cohen, Knopf, 2003, hardcover, 576 pages, ISBN 0375407502 (An analysis of the working out of class in the United States)