Analysis of Social Class - Essay Example

Social In the modern eon, decorated beautifully with the terms such as 'the age of science,' 'the age of scientific technology,' or 'the age ofcommunication,' all those factors that characterize such a christening of the age affect our understanding of the concept of social class. Also called class, social class is "a group of people within a society who possess the same socioeconomic status. Besides being important in social theory, the concept of class as a collection of individuals sharing similar economic circumstances has been widely used in censuses and in studies of social mobility." (Social Class. 2008). Also, the social existence in the background of complex societal situations as defined by the divergent and reciprocally conflicting theories of Capitalism, Marxism etc has resulted in the new social patterns. In this new situation, the large scale, macro-sociological, and structural sociological theories that were developed by Marx, Durkheim, Weber, and Parsons and the functional school, have great implications in determining the new models of social class. Most conspicuously, such theories that affect the modern class divisions are the results of the great efforts by theorists and thinkers of the latter half of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries in Europe. "These theories were developed by European social theorists who were attempting to understand the new social world of a modern, industrial, urban society. These classical theories established sociology as an academic discipline, their definition of the social world established the scope of sociological study, and their methodologies determined how sociology would be studied and applied." (Micro Approaches and Simmel. 2002).The importance of such classical theories in connection to the class division is that they explore the various levels of political and state intervention and actions which affect the modern classification of social classes and those social situations which determine the mobility of the various social classes within society. Thus, in their most significant contribution to the sociological studies, these social theories assist us in analyzing the political and state actions which result in the class divisions in the modern society as well as the mobility of the different classes within the society and across social classes. In this paper, the central focus has been an analysis of this process based on the theories of modern class divisions. In the comprehension of the social classification of the humanity among diverse social classes, the contribution of the theories such as capitalism, Marxism, modernization, internationalism, democracy, autocracy, and others have been significant. In a momentous note of the modern sociological perspectives, we understand that the time perspectives of sociology have changed tremendously. "Just as its substantive concerns once again became a little more historical, in a partial reversal of what the great historical sociologist, Norbert Elias (1897-1990) attacked in 1983 as "The Retreat of Sociologists into the Present" - in other words, their excessive concentration on contemporary social phenomena, so its sense of its own past shifted." (Andersen and Kaspersen 2000, P.7). In this background do we understand the social classes of the modern world Let us also be clear that the mobilization of the social classes across the various groups have been greatly affected by the political and state actions. Therefore, the political actions of a society which runs in the background of democratic set up is varied from that of a society in the autocratic mode and these differ greatly in their effect on the class distinction and the class mobilization. In the same way, the capitalist state's impact on the class distinction and class mobilization is entirely different from that of a Marxist state. Consequently, we come to acknowledge the view that political and state intervention and actions have prominent impact on the class distinction of the masses as well as they affect the social mobility of the people along different classes. Class is a concept that is mostly thought to be made of economic concepts. The common notion about what a class is or which class a person belongs to is determined by the economic criteria or in economic terms. Therefore, it needs to be made clear that "class cannot be explained in purely economic terms since nothing can be explained in purely economic terms. The state, ideology, and indeed race and gender and many other factors, all bear on the question: how do we explain why class relations are the way they are. If we are talking about definitions, then we are back to the previous question: implicit in the definition of any economic practice or relation is a political dimension, since economic practices always involve the exercise of powers of various sorts. The implication, then, is a purely economic definition brings with it a political dimension." (Reflections on Marxism, Class and Politics. 2001). Most importantly, there is even a saying that class shapes politics. Therefore, class is some greater concept to be comprehended at a higher realm. To make very essential distinction between the various classes that are produced by the political and state actions, let us consider the most apparent classification of the society into different classes based on capitalist and Marxist states. Capitalism is the most effective and ruling economic theory of the modern era. The contradictory existence of the powerful political and state theories of capitalism and Marxism make clear the diverse class groups of the modern world. Thus, the surplus value concept of the Marxian concepts as existing in the materialistic profit driven capitalist theory, as we understand, has resulted in the class distinction based on the money power or the capital assets. Here, we find the basic distinction, as differentiated by the great theorists of Marxist theory, between the 'haves' and the 'have nots.' In this way, the society is classified into different class groups and the contribution of capitalism and other neo-humanist theories, just as the Marxism, in the social researches and studies on class and class system is noteworthy. It needs to be clear that "to study class and treat it as a central issue in social research is not exclusively a "Marxist thing". That being said, the preoccupation with class is usually a pretty good indicator of scholarship that is rooted in the Marxist tradition. In other currents of social theory, notably the Weberian tradition, class is one of a menu of relations and processes around which social analysis is organized. In Marxism, in contrast, it is the pivotal relation. It is thus probably fair to say, in general, that being preoccupied with class tends to suggest a Marxist agenda." (Reflections on Marxism, Class and Politics. 2001). Capitalism has been a central contributor to the understanding of the class structure. There is even an understanding of an international capitalist class which makes the idea of class groups according to the concepts of state and politics clear. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the existence of an international capitalist class which gives further meaning to the concept of internationalization of state. "There is certainly an international capitalist class in the simple sense of capitalists whose investment activities routinely cross international borders and who are thus in a class relation with workers all over the world. This, however, simply defines the locational property of the class: there are capitalists who occupy a location that puts them in a social relation with workers in many different countries. This does not mean that there is an international capitalist class formation, that is, that the capitalists who occupy such internationalized locations have effectively coalesced into a coherent internationally organized collectivity At most there is a kind of loose social network based class formation internationally, but this provides a relatively weak basis for systematic and sustained international collective action." (Reflections on Marxism, Class and Politics. 2001). It is to be recognized, as well, that there is an obvious emergent form of state with an internationalized character. At this point, the importance of social mobility is also needs to be particularly recognized. Most significantly, "social mobility occurs whenever people move across social class boundaries or from one occupational level to another. Mobility can be upwards or downwards. Intergenerational mobility compares parents' levels to that of their children. Intra-generational mobility plots career shifts within a person's lifetime." (Sociology at Hewett. 1997). The study of Social Mobility is justified rightly for the following reasons. First of all, it matters to people to get on in life. Secondly, we can study people's life histories based on social mobility. Next, we can see changes in the class system that results from the social mobility. Significantly, the more mobile a society means it is more open and fairer. Finally and most importantly, social mobility affects the way classes are formed as well as it affects size and shape of different classes. Now, to consider how social mobility is affected by politics and state, let us be very clear that they are very much interrelated. The modern situation of America, in its social mobilization clarifies our point. The great economy in the world with the capitalist and democratic theories of social, political and economic theories, the United States has a social class structure like many other countries. However, unlike most countries, "except at the very highest level, it is possible for an American to move up to a higher social class one step, or one generation at a time. Immigrants from many countries have arrived by the millions, started at the bottom of the ladder, and within a generation or two have become part of the mainstream of American middle class life." (Social Mobility. 2007). It is also considerable that the United States is the best example for a highly stratified society in the industrialized world. Class distinctions function in practically every facet of the lives of the people, determining the nature of their work, the quality of schooling, and the health and safety of loved ones. However, it maintains misapprehensions of living in the capitalist "land of opportunity", where any average person can make his million if he works hard enough. The fact of the matter is that "the US is not as "open" as we think it may be, meaning that social mobility, or the movement between classes, is not nearly as easy as we may believe. This is due to the fact that many social issues, such as gender, racial, and economic class, serve as barriers that obstruct the path of one's social mobility. Despite our own personal efforts and talents, mobility in our society is primarily based on one's status, and overcoming the stereotypes that accompany one's status makes mobility extremely hard." (Social Mobility. 2004). Thus, we can understand that there is an apparent relation between the class, state, political theories, and social mobility. To conclude, we come to the clear understanding that in this modern era of social and technological progress and development, theories of modern class divisions are significant in an understanding of the classification of the people into various groups. These theories also provide the accurate basis for an understanding of the influence of political and state intervention and action on the class division and social mobility. As we have seen, the American situation of state and political theories and practice very clearly illustrates how much these can contribute to the analysis of class division and social mobility. Works cited Social Class. Encyclopedia Britannica Article. 2008. 28 Feb. 2008 . Micro Approaches and Simmel. Sociology 250. 2002. 28 Feb. 2008 . Andersen, Heine and Kaspersen, Lars Bo. Classical and Modern Social Theory. Blackwell Publishing. P.7. 2000. Reflections on Marxism, Class and Politics. Erik Olin Wright responses to interview questions posed by Chronis Polychroniou. 2001. 28 Feb. 2008 . Sociology at Hewett. Social Mobility. 1997. 28 Feb. 2008 . Social Mobility. Life in the USA. The American People. Social Classes. 2007. 28 Feb. 2008 . Social Mobility. Free Essays. Cliff Notes and Term Paper Database. 2004. 28 Feb. 2008 . Read More