Do classical approaches to class remain relevant to contemporary societies? Your answer should refer to the work of Marx and/or Weber. ‘The word class has been used to describe broad and diffuse groupings within a national population that are seen as forming a set of layers or strata in a hierarchy, as in the terms ‘upper’, ‘middle’ and ‘lower’ class’. (Crompton and Scott, 2000, pg.1) Class has been a key subject in sociological debate. Recently however the debate has shifted from the classical questions that Marx and Weber were asking over a century ago- How is class defined?
Krieken, R. et al. 2014, p. 205 defines class as referring to a “social group, defined in terms of its economic position in a hierarchy of inequality and with material interests that differentiate it from other classes.” This essay will set out to explain how sociology helps to understand class, and how the theories of Marx and Weber have influenced the basis for most modern sociological theories of class. Social class is a concept that has been argued about for hundreds of years. According to the Business Dictionary social class can be defined as “a status hierarchy in which individuals and groups are classified on the basis of esteem and prestige acquired mainly through economic success and accumulation of wealth. Social class may also refer to any particular level in such a hierarchy.” Sociologists have given a threefold classification of classes which consists of upper class, middle class and working class.
Outline and evaluate one sociological perspective. Marxism is a key sociological perspective and is referred to as one of Sociology's grand theories. It is a structural theory and is the most influential and widely known version of conflict theory, focusing on the conflicts of social groups within society. Many critics of Marxism focus on the fact that some of Marx's more startling predictions have not yet come true, thus, people are quick to judge his sociological perspective and write it off altogether, I hope to address this and conclude that, in fact, Marxism is still an adaptable and highly influential sociological theory. Karl Marx, born 1818, was alive during a time which saw the biggest period of change in Britain in modern times, a time of Industrialisation.
Structural theories such as functionalism and Marxism are macro (large scale), and deterministic: they see society as a real thing existing over and above us, shaping our ideas and behaviour – individuals are like puppets, manipulated by society. Social action theorists use qualitative research methods to gather an in-depth understanding of human behaviour and the reasons behind such behaviour. This method investigates the why and how of decision making, not just what, where and when, for example, covert or overt participant observations and unstructured interviews. Structural approaches use methods that are scientific, as they want quantitative data (e.g. questionnaires and surveys).
This is an exception in under-developed countries such as India where a caste system is still present. Priestland’s belief is that through studying the past and how society functioned, we can understand and solve current day economic and social issues. The middle class has become the dominant factor in how most countries operate and succeed especially in the United States. After reading Merchant Soldier Sage: A New History of Power, I too am a strong believer in studying the past and how it has created the world as we know it and the world to come. Works Cited: Priestland, David.
Additionally social science has played a peculiar role in the problem of race according to Bobo. Throughout his paper speaks to the social injustice and inequalities that still are very prevalent and insist that affirmative action is necessary to continue to attempt to level the playing field for racial
Central conflict theorist Karl Marx asserted that society is not a harmonious system, but riddled with unfairness, conflict and disorder. Prominent feminist theorist Harriet Martineau insisted that inequality toward women was especially prevalent in the flawed society, and that there should be equal rights among all humans (Murray, 2011). During The Enlightenment, French Revolution, and society’s Industrialization sociology developed into the multi-faceted field it is today. The study of sociology continues to be very
Sarita Brown Chapter 1 Sociology explores and analyzes the ultimate issues of our personal lives, of society and the world. It's the science dealing with social forces that shape our lives, interests, and personalities. Sociologist dig deeper into the social life and the principles to explain human behavior as a whole. It also helps us to understand why we behave as we do. This is a necessary understanding because it brings about social change.
Although the industrial revolution had a huge positive impact on German economy, it also lead to a rise in socialism which meant the emergence of pressure groups, such as the Nationalist pressure groups and the Economic pressure groups. These groups were often focused on single issues, but they highlighted the tensions and divisions in Germany. Foreign minister and Chancellor Von Bulow played a key part in protecting the position of the Second Reich's ruling elite. He focussed on an aggressive foreign policy to
The world is constantly changing. Political and economic systems evolve and change, social movements come and go, empires rise and fall, different culture also evolve and change, new technologies are born; but the one thing that remains constant through all of these different forms of social organization is socio-economic class. Social class is something that is addressed in many different fields of higher education such as philosophy, economics, political science, social science, and humanities. Sociologists conceive it as a kind of social stratification. Social stratification is the universal tendency of societies to organize people in a hierarchy of levels or “strata” on a variety of characteristics such as power, wealth, social status, education level, prestige of one’s occupation, social standing (Petev, 2013).