Social changes associated with late modernity have led many to question the continuing relevance of class analysis. This paper shows that, far from being dead, class remains an important analytical tool. This is shown in relation to the constitution of economic classes, the causal effects of class situations, the formation of social classes, and patterns of class awareness. It is argued that economic class divisions can still be identified and that they continue to exercise a major impact on life chances. Nevertheless, class effects must be considered alongside other, partially offsetting, causal effects, and this means that patterns of social class formation are looser than in the past. People continue to recognise the existence of economic and social class divisions, but they are likely to supplement this with other lifestyle factors in constituting their social identities.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Acker, J.1973. Women and Social Stratification: A Case of Intellectual Sexism. American Journal of Sociology.78.
2.
Alford, R.1963. Party and Society: The Anglo-American Democracies. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
3.
Beck, U. [1986] 1992. Risk Society: Towards a New Modernity. London: Sage.
4.
Berle, A. A. & Means, G. C.1932. The Modern Corporation and Private Property. London: Macmillan.
5.
Billinghurst, A.2001. General Election 2001: Findings From the British Election Study. Sociology Review. 11.
6.
Bourdieu, P. [1979] 1986. Distinction. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
7.
Butler, D. & Stokes, D. E.1969. Political Change in Britain: Forces Shaping Electoral Change. London: Macmillan.
8.
Campbell, A., Converse, P. S., Miller, W. E. & Stokes, D. E.1960. The American Voter. New York: John Wiley.
9.
Chancy, D.1996. Lifestyle. London: Routledge.
10.
Clark, T. N. & Upset, S. M.1991. Are Social Classes Dying?International Sociology6.
11.
Dahrendorf, R. [1957] 1959. Class and Class Conflict in an Industrial Society. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
12.
Delphy, C.1981. Women in Stratification Studies. In H. Roberts (ed.). Doing Feminist Research. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
13.
Devine, F.1996. Social Class in America and Britain. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
14.
Eder, K.1993. The New Politics of Class. London: Sage.
15.
Erikson, R. & Goldthorpe, J. H.1993. The Constant Flux. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
16.
Esping-Andersen, G. (ed.). 1993. Changing Classes. London: Sage.
17.
Esping-Andersen, G., Assimakopoulou, Z. & Kersbergen, K. van1993. Trends in Contemporary Class Structure. In G. Esping-Andersen (ed.). Changing Classes. London: Sage.
18.
Evans, G. & Norris, P.1999. Critical Elections: British Parties and Voters in Long-term Perspective. London: Sage.
19.
Fitzpatrick, R. & Dollamore, G.1999. Examining Adult Mortality Using the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification. Health Statistics Quarterly.2.
20.
Franklin, M.1985. The Decline of Class Voting in Britain. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
21.
Franklin, M., Mackie, T., Valen, H. and others. 1992. Electoral Change: Responses to Everyday Social and Attitudinal Structures in Western Countries. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
22.
Gershuny, J.2000. Social Position from Narrative Data. In R. Crompton, F. Devine, M. Savage & J. Scott (eds.). Renewing Class Analysis. Oxford: Blackwell.
23.
Giddens, A.1973. The Class Structure of the Advanced Societies. London: Hutchinson.
24.
Glass, D. V. (ed.), 1954. Social Mobility in Britain. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
25.
Goldthorpe, J. H.1983. Women and Class Analysis: In Defence of the Conventional View. Sociology.17.
26.
Goldthorpe, J. H. [1980] 1987. Social Mobility and Class Structure. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
27.
Goldthorpe, J. H.1999. Modelling The Pattern of Class Voting in British Elections. 1964-1992. In G. Evans (ed.). The End of Class Politics? Class Voting In Comparative Context. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
28.
Goldthorpe, J. H.Lockwood, D., Bechoffer, F. & Platt, J.1968a. The Affluent Worker: Industrial Attitudes and Behaviour. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
29.
Goldthorpe, J. H., Lockwood, D., Bechoffer, F. & Platt, J.1968b. The Affluent Worker: Political Attitudes and Behaviour. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
30.
Goldthorpe, J. H.Lockwood, D., Bechhof er, F. & Platt, J.1969. The Affluent Worker in the Class Structure. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
31.
Grusky, D. B. & Sorensen, J. B.1998. Can Class Analysis be Salvaged?American journal of Sociology.103.
32.
Hout, M., Brooks, C. & Manza, J.1995. The Democratic Class Struggle in the United States. American Sociological Review.60.
33.
Hout, M., Manza, J. & Brooks, C.1999. Classes. Unions, and the Realignment of US Presidential Voting. 1952-1992. In G. Evans (ed.). The End of Class Politics? Class Voting in Comparative Context. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
34.
Inglehart, R.1990. Culture Shift in Advanced Industrial Society. Princeton. NJ: Princeton University Press.
35.
Inglehart, R.1997. Modernization and Postmodernization: Cultural, Economic, and Political Change in 43 Countries. Princeton. NJ: Princeton University Press.
36.
Jackman, M. & Jackman, R.1983. Class Awareness in the United States. Berkeley. CA: University of California Press.
37.
Kingston, P. W.2000. The Classless SocietyStanford. CT: Stanford University Press.
38.
Korpi, W.1983. The Democratic Class Struggle. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
39.
Lipset, S. M. [1959] 1960. Political Man. London: Heinemann.
40.
Lipset, S. M. & Rokkan, S.1967. Cleavage Structures. Party Systems and Voter Alignment. In S. M. Lipset and S. Rokkan (eds.). Party Systems and Voter Alignment. New York: Free Press.
41.
Lockwood, D. [1958] 1993. The Black-coaled Worker. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
42.
Marshall, G., Rose, D., Vogler, C. & Newby, H.1988. Social Class in Modern Britain. London: Hutchinson.
43.
Muller, W.1999. Class Cleavages in Party Preferences in Germany — Old and New. In G. Evans (ed.). The End of Class Politics? Class Voting in Comparative Context. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
44.
Nieuwbeerta, P. & De Graaf, N. D.1999. Traditional Class Voting in Twenty Postwar Societies. In G. Evans (ed.). The End of Class Politics? Class Voting in Comparative Context. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
45.
Pakulski, J. & Waters, M.1996. The Death of Class. London: Sage.
46.
Parkin, F.1971. Class Inequality and Political Order. London: McGibbon and Kee.
47.
Payne, J. & Payne, G.2000. Health. In G. Payne (ed.). Social Divisions. London: Macmillan.
48.
Prandy, K.1991. The Revised Cambridge Scale of Occupations. Sociology24.
49.
Putnam, R. D.2000. Bowling Along: The Collapse and Revival of American CommunityNew York: Simon and Schuster.
50.
Reid, I.1998. Class in Britain. London: Polity.
51.
Ringdal, K. & Hines, K.1999. Changes in Class Voting in Norway. 1957-1989. In G. Evans (ed.). The End of Class Politics? Class Voting in Comparative Context. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
52.
Rose, D. & Pevalin, D. J.2000. Social Class Differences in Mortality Using the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification. Social Science and Medicine, 51.
53.
Rose, D. & O'Reilly, K.1998. The ESRC Review of Government Social Classifications. London: Office of National Statistics and ESRC.
54.
Runciman, W. G.1989. How Many Classes?Sociology23.
55.
Sarlvik, B. & Crewe, I.1983. Decade of Dealignment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
56.
Savage, M.2000. Class Analysis and Social Transformation. Buckingham: Open University Press.
57.
Scott, J.1996. Stratification and Power: Structures of Class. Status and Command. Cambridge: Polity Press.
58.
Scott, J.1997. Corporate Business and Capitalist Classes. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
59.
Scott, J.2001a. If Class is Dead. Why Won't It Lie Down?. In M. Kohli & A. Woodhead (eds.) Inclusions and Exclusions in European Societies. London: Routledge.
60.
Scott, J.2001b. Power. Cambridge: Polity Press.
61.
Svallfors, S.1999. The Class Politics of Swedish Welfare Policies. In G. Evans (ed.). The End of Class Politics? Class Voting in Comparative Context. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
62.
Weber, M. [1914] 1968a. The Distribution of Power Within the Political Community: Class, Status, Party. In G. Roth & C. Wittich (eds.). Economy and SocietyNew York: Bedminster Press.
63.
Weber, M. [1920] 1968b. Status Groups and Classes. In G. Roth & C. Wittich (eds.). Economy and SocietyNew York: Bedminster Press.
64.
Wright, E. O.1985. Classes. London: Verso.
65.
Wright, E. O.1989. The Debate on Classes. London: Verso.
66.
Wright, E. O.1997. Class Counts. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
