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CHAPTER 12: Class and Other Social Characteristics
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334 CHAPTER 12 Class and Other Social Characteristics Inanydemocracy,thebehaviorofthevotingpublicmaybestudiedas individualsorasmembersof groups.Amongallpossiblesocialg roupings ,nonehasr eceivedmorenoticethansocialc lass.Thisisbecause, first theconceptise xhaustive,excludingnoone.Everyvoterholdsa placeinthenation ’sc lassst ructure.Thatplac emaynotbee xalted; rather,itmaybelowlyor“lower,”thatis,oflowerstatusthansomeone elseinthesocialhierarchy,whomaybe“upper”class.Allcitizens,oncelocated ontheclassspectrum,composethecountry’sentiresocialstructure. Second,theclassconceptcanbeappliedtoanysociety.Scholarsofsocial stratification ellusthatallsocietiesarelayeredfromtoptobottom,with thedifferentlayersreceivingdifferentamountsofvaluedgoods. Ifweexaminedifferentnationsatdifferenthistoricalperiods,itmay appearthatthesest rataarecomplexanddissimilar .Onec ountryis madeupof aristocrats,thebourgeoisie,andpeasants.Anothersocial structureisdefined ycaptainsof industry,merchants,andworkers. Whiletheseg roupsappeardi verse,eachpursuesec onomicinterests. Varyingsuccessinpursuitof theseec onomicinterestsputsthemat competingrungsofthesocialladder.Whiledifferentinname,someof thesegroupsmayinfactformacommonclass.Itisthisnotionofanunderlying sharedstructuralinterestthatmakestheclassconceptapowerful oneforinvestigatingsocialhierarchiesgenerally. Theideaofclassattractsresearchersfrommanydisciplinesbecause itintersectswithsociety,economics,andpolitics.Socialclassesaregenerally conceivedtobeguidedbyeconomicgoals,tobeachievedthrough ClassandOtherSocialCharacteristics ★ 335 thepoliticalsystem.Whenonesocialclasshasfewervaluedgoodsthan another,itmayengageinpoliticalactionstofurtheraredistributionof thosegoods.Thequestforthisredistributionmayleadtorevolution,as intheMarxistscenariowheretheworkersviolentlyoverthrowtheexploiting capitalistbosses.ButonedoesnothavetobeaMarxistorarevolutionary toseethataveryunequaldistributionofgoodsandservices betweenrulersandruledcouldbringaboutgreatpressureforpolitical change.Elites,underincr easingchallenge,growmoredefensive.The masses,inresponse,becomemorealienatedfromthesystem.Conflic ensues,followedbyrepression,orperhapsreform,asnewleadersless distantfromthepeopletakepower. Apoliticaldramasuchasthis,basedondifferentEuropeantheories ofsocialchange,doesnoteasilyfitthe Americanstory.Thatdoesnot meanthat“classpolitics”hasnotbeenacommonfeatureofpoliticallife intheUnitedStates.FromthefoundingoftheRepublic,therewasconcern ,expressedinFederalistNo.10,overclassesas“themostcommon anddurablesourceoffaction.”IntheeraofAndrewJackson,members oftheuppercr ustworriedovertheriseofpopulistrule.BeforeWorld WarItherewaswidespread,class-inspired,socialistorganizingamong theU.S.labormovement.Thisactivityintensifiedinthe 1930s,afterthe GreatDepression,withthelabormassesmovingtothepoliticalleft. Socialclassweconsiderseparatelyfromothersocialcharacteristics partlybecauseitissurroundedbyitsowncontroversy,andpartlybecause itisnotnec essarilyastrictlystructuralfactor.Whilesociologistsreadily acknowledgethatsocietiesareriddledwithstatusdifferences,theydispute itsmeaning.Isclassanobjectivecategoryofanalysis,whereoneisa memberbyvirtueof,say,anoccupation?Orisc lasssomethingsubjective ,requiringtheconsciouschoiceofmembership?Forexample,isJilla memberoftheworkingclasssimplybecausesheworksontheassembly lineatFord,oronlybecauseshedec laresherselfamember?Thelatt er impliesthatJill“identifie ”withtheworkingclass,muchlikethemember ofanygroup(asdiscussedinthelastchapter).Howoneconceivesofsocial class,then,dependsonwhetheronetreatsitasmerelyanothersocial group.Asshallbeshown,classissometimesbesttreatedasagroupphenomenon ,andsometimesasananalyticconstructindicatingplaceinthe socialstructure,muchlikeanyothersocialcharacteristic. Unlikemembershipinagroup,thepossessionofasocialcharacteristic —forexample,collegeeducation,middleage—normallyindicates placeinasc hemeofsociologicalcategories,ratherthanpsychological [3.138...