The essay criticizes the prevalent conceptual apparatus of stratification and mobility for not coming to terms with social development proper. Some inherent logic is acknowledged, given the presuppositions, but because of their inadequacy the field under scrutiny comes to be charac terized by groups, the social nature of which is questioned. The merging of remnants from political liberalism and 'American' values in an influential sociological vocabulary is criticized. To be considered are central var iables such as income and occupation, and the relationship between the conception of equality and the principle equality of opportunity. As a critique of methodology I am accusing the current approaches of severe restnctions, both as regards the unwarranted exclusion of certain research objects, and in terms of level of analysis, since only the level of distribution is taken into account.
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