Social Class Matters
Social Class Matters Diane Shutt SOC 120 Lawrence Randolph
Social class, although somewhat illusive in meaning, is one of the most important conceptual discussions among sociologists. Developed in the mid-eighteenth century, originally class was a process to categorize animals, plants, and any natural event not promoted by humans, such as rain, or volcanic action (Nesbit, 2005). However, a French group of intellects called Encylopédistes developed a similar classification system in which they categorized people according to their social and economic positions (Nesbit, 2005). Even though social class can be ambiguous in definition and often demonstrate inequality and discrimination, it is an important subject for every individual because at some point he or she will hold a position in a socially stratified class in society. Approximately 100 years after the development of the class system, around the mid-nineteenth century, Karl Marx used class to support his explanation of the social organizational process. According to Marx’s theory, at that time, there were only two categories of social class, the owners who controlled the money, means, and industries, and the workers who labored for modest wages (Nesbit, 2005). In contrast to Marx’s theory, many other sociologists, including Max Weber, believe there were more than two distinct categories in the socially stratified system. Weber’s sociological perspective was that classes were not based solely on materialism, processes, or performances, but also on values, lifestyle, and culture. French philosopher, sociologist, and anthropologist, Pierre Bourdieu agreed with Weber in his more humanistic view, adding a few other stratifying factors such as age, race, gender, and ethnicity to the external class structure. Other supporters of the
Social class, although somewhat illusive in meaning, is one of the most important conceptual discussions among sociologists. Developed in the mid-eighteenth century, originally class was a process to categorize animals, plants, and any natural event not promoted by humans, such as rain, or volcanic action (Nesbit, 2005). However, a French group of intellects called Encylopédistes developed a similar classification system in which they categorized people according to their social and economic positions (Nesbit, 2005). Even though social class can be ambiguous in definition and often demonstrate inequality and discrimination, it is an important subject for every individual because at some point he or she will hold a position in a socially stratified class in society. Approximately 100 years after the development of the class system, around the mid-nineteenth century, Karl Marx used class to support his explanation of the social organizational process. According to Marx’s theory, at that time, there were only two categories of social class, the owners who controlled the money, means, and industries, and the workers who labored for modest wages (Nesbit, 2005). In contrast to Marx’s theory, many other sociologists, including Max Weber, believe there were more than two distinct categories in the socially stratified system. Weber’s sociological perspective was that classes were not based solely on materialism, processes, or performances, but also on values, lifestyle, and culture. French philosopher, sociologist, and anthropologist, Pierre Bourdieu agreed with Weber in his more humanistic view, adding a few other stratifying factors such as age, race, gender, and ethnicity to the external class structure. Other supporters of the
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