Social Class

Research Paper # 93741

Philosophy > Ethics
Philosophy > Logic
Political Science > Marx / Engels

Social Class

A review of Karl Marx's and Max Weber's views of social class and status as applied to Australia.

2,852 words () | 73 sources | MLA | 2004 New Zealand

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses concepts of social class and status. It particularly focuses on the views of Karl Marx and Max Weber. The paper also highlights issues on cultural divisions and status and analyzes the authoritarian divisions and the elite. The paper applies Marx's and Weber's views of social class to the situation in Australia and suggests that their perceptions cannot be applied there.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Class Status and Command Relations
Cultural Divisions and Status Analysis
Authoritarian Division and Elites
Class in Australia
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Class is one of the central concepts in sociological analysis. Sociologists and/or popular critics have claimed, 'reduce everything to class'. There is a degree of truth in this claim, though many sociologists have recently alleged the 'death of class' (Clark and Lipset 1991). "Despite this fascination, however, class is a remarkably confused term, and at least two broad conceptions of class have characterized sociological work. On the one hand, class has been seen as referring to economic divisions and interests, while on the other hand it has been seen as referring to cultural distinctions" (Scott, 1997)."

Sample of Sources Used:

Abercrombie, Nicholas, and John Urry. 1983 Capital, Labour and the Middle Classes. London: George Allen and Unwin.
Anderson, Perry. 1974. Lineages of the Absolutist State. London: New Left Books.
Barnes, Barry. 1992. Status Groups and Collective Action. Sociology, 26: 259 - 270.
Barnes, Barry. 1993. Max Weber's Conception of Social Intercourse. Conference Paper: University of Leicester, July 1993.
Bukharin, Nikolai. 1925. Historical Materialism: A System of Sociology, Third Edition. New York: International Publishers.