Class - Key Concept in Sociology (Paperback)

"Class" aims to demonstrate the key importance of the concept of class in sociology. It traces the development of the concept of class from the classic works of Marx and Weber to the recent contributions of the neo-Marxist Wright and the neo-Weberian Goldthorpe, and describes the class structures of contemporary Britain and the USA. The book surveys the relevant literature; examines how to operationalize the concept; analyzes class and social mobility, inequality and politics in Britain and the USA; considers the idea of a classless society; proposes that there is an emergent convergence in Marxist and Weberian approaches; provides a critique of these perspectives; assesses the thesis of American exceptionalism; and reviews recent empirical research on the class system in the US. Wide-ranging, concise and user-friendly, the text should be of use to students in sociology and politics from higher school to undergraduate levels.