Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Class: theoretical conceptions (Weber (REVOLUTION (NORBERT ELIAS: The…
Class: theoretical conceptions
Views on class
Social class
Social power rarely seen as interpersonal & derives from our position in society
Quintessentially sociological & inherently critical
A critical concept
Rooted in social inequality
Marx
: Describe in order to abolish
Views
Objective location
How ppl = objectively located in distribution of material inequality
A gradational concept:
Rank on a scale
: rank & describe, ≠ real explanation
Basis
: characteristic
Subjective location
How ppl individually & collectively
locate themselves & others within a structure of social inequality
Basis
: Characteristic deemed prominent from POV of those who perceive it -->
Tied to classification
Social actors put THEMSELVES in classes
& position themselves into a class (explanatory)
Relational explanation of life chances
Regulates people's access to resources
Inequality
: economically defined by
Life chances
: Regulates ppl's access to resources
Focus
: Mechanism of access & exclusion of economic resources that shape life chances + material standards of living individuals & families
Intsrument of social history
Describe & explain variations across history i/t social organization of inequality
Macro level
: Helps understand shifts in life chances
Central to
Marx & Weber
Basis for oppression & exploitation
What changes are needed to get rid of them
Describe to denounce
:
Marx
Normative use of power
Marx & Engels
Historical materialism
History of all society = history of
class struggle
≠ mechanical passage of time, but change = outcome of differences between social groups
Effective rule
: when history = static
History ≠ clash of ideas, but of conflicting groups
: minority trying to overcome majority
Genealogy of a concept
Thierry & Guizot
Historiography of the masses
Struggle for rendering society stationary = main cause of change
: relations of different classes to one another
If whole people gets moved, often seen as work of 1 hero
Bourgeois historians
Addition Marx
Existence of class = bound up to particular historical phases in the development of production
Class struggle leads to
dictatorship o/t proletariat
Dictatorship
= transition to abolition of all classes
HEGEL
Periods of happiness = empty pages in history because the
antithesis = missing
Only way to self-consciousness is through violence
Each historical period: idea that governs at that time & formation of an antithesis to counter it
HISTORY = CLASH OF IDEAS
SEE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO
: Exploitation & organic link between bourgeoisie & proletariat
Weber
= retool Marx to exclude exploitation
ANTI-MARX
Looks at role of ideas in economic development, not only @ ownership
Looks at historical changes in distribution of life chances, not exploitation
Complex model of stratification within society, not only economy
Weber beliefs Econ class = Status = political, while Marx beliefs that economic class = societal power and can break culture at same time
WITH MARX
Role of power & allocating status & centrality of historical dimension
HISTORICAL VARIATION INEQUALITY
Class = MACRO-CONCEPT & helps understand shifts in life chances
Rationalisation
Class = rational way of organizing society & economy
Get rid of emotional --> self-interest
Modern society
: Increasing procedures, standardization, explicit & impersonal rules, personal interests
Life chance determined by
Previously: ASCRIPTIVE CHAR
Capitalism
: Market position (supply/demand, efficiency)
Levels of GROUPNESS (continuum)
KLASSE/ECON ORDER
Shared econ position as determined by exchange in competitive markets
Basis
amorphous social action
(mass behavior)
NOT DEFINED BY OWNERSHIP OF MePR
STATUS GROUP/SOCIAL
Similar lifestyles: traditions, values, rituals, ...
Determined by positive/negative social estimation of HONOUR
Linked to
symbolic prestige & strong us-them relationship
PARTY/POLITICAL
Realize collective goals & acquire power = ALL POWER GROUPS & ÜBERGROUP
Social action =
ASSOCIATION
Form depends on the type of power structure in society
PLURALISTIC MODEL
In practice different types often align: Dominant class has own status culture & political power
Understand models of inequality & class conflict
Look at
STATUS GROUP
: can often cause class conflicts & can intervene in them (fe a catholic factory)
Difficulties of mobilization working class: because need to get over differences in status culture
AGAINST MARX: only looks at ownership
Intersect & overlap
Often econ groups develop own stg
STG can impede free flow of labour
REVOLUTION
Difference in economic & cultural prestige between classes (
Nouveaux riches
)
Tech & econ changes bring notion of class in foreground
Stability in economy --> stratification of STG's
Economy starts to outpace STG
NORBERT ELIAS
:
The civilizing process
COLONIZATION & ASSIMILATION
: Bourgeoisie still wants to mirror aristocracy
DIFFERENTIATION & EMANCIPATION
: Bour. = self-aware of own power & asserts own norms and manners
GRAMSCI
Weber on class studies: Class, status & party often align, when there is a break in this --> revolution
Gramsci: HISTORICAL BLOCK: When economy, civil society & state link up
Dahrendorf
Use of Weberian categories & Marxian Class analysis
What is wrong with class theory?
Social groups = integrated through coercion dominant groups
CLASS AS AUTHORITY
PROBLEMS MARX
Marx
: Class only defined ownership (managers?)
WEBER
Power
: Probability that 1 will carry out own will despite resistance (on of basis of that probability)
Authority
: Probability that a command with a given consent will be carried out by a given group of people = LEGIT POWER
AUTHORITY
Wherever people's actions are subject to legitimate & sanctioned prescription that originate outside them, but within structure
Order-giving & Order-taking
Power in 1 organization ≠ power in the other
Property = form of authority
COERCION/CONFLICT THEORY
Classes
Social conflict groups whose members participate/excluded from exercise of authority within imperatively controlled avovcations
Interest group
: similar authority = similar interests
QUASI-GROUP
: potential basis for pol mobiliz.
From QG -> IG
TECHNICAL
: Organizat. cadre & IDEOLOGY
POLITICAL
: Allow for political mobilization
SOCIAL
: Regular communication between members :
STRUCTURAL RECRUITEMENT
CONCLUSION
More generally applicable model
How class operates within context of society
Enables to conceptualize dominated without association to poverty/illiteracy
BOTH OBJECTIVE & SUBJECTIVE