Notes on Weber’s Theory of Class (Yale)
Final Paper:
- Pick an exciting topic that interests you! Make it relevant to your life.
- Make sure to link 2 things together (like class and race); don’t just pick one category
- Feel free to include your opinions (but be careful; talk to me about that)
Weber Theory on Class – Lecture
- Max Weber is a theorist (like Karl Marx)
- Issues where they disagree:
- Marx: Class is distinguished by property ownership (between the business owner and the worker)
- Weber defines class by the marketplace (market situation – between the manager and the worker; both are workers at different levels of class)
- Classification based on class or status?
- Weber: Class struggle gets more intense over time and eventually there will be a revolt! (struggle gets worse)
- Marx: class struggle is more intense in the early stages and eventually gets less (struggle gets less)
- W.G. Runciman – still alive – a scholar who interpreted Weber
- STATUS/PRESTIGE
- CLASS/INCOME/WEALTH
- POWER
- People can be privileged in any (or all) these dimensions of social inequality
- Status inconsistency… Can you have very high prestige but very low wealth? (think: Mother Theresa)
- Survey says: Supreme Court Justice very high in prestige and power; but only make as much $ as a professor!
- The Mafia Godfather: prestige low or high? income? power? power where? in New Jersey only or nationally?
- Does high prestige also mean high power? High income? (example: Mother Theresa)
- Does low prestige also mean low power? Low income? (example: Janitor)
- “Schtangdt” means status or “estate” in English (however you spell it in German) [estate: think "property ownership"]
- This is different than class [class: think "lower class citizen"]
- Class… status… if those are defined, how does power come into play? [types of power: physical, political, police, military, etc.]
- PRIVILEGES: based on class, status, and power
- Where does power come from? Tradition or legal authority? Or, does power come from status or class?
- STRATIFICATION: this means difference (or “distinguishing”) between levels [think: upper and lower class are "stratified"]
- Authority… is authority the same as power?
- EXAMPLE: Slaves… are they a class or a status group? Lecturer says slaves are a status group. [is this based on power? lack of power? so, status is based on power? or is it because slaves have no property? if status=property, then both]
- Slavery, isn’t that a political act? So, we’re talking political power. But, wasn’t there some physical power of imprisonment? So, political + physical power resulted in the consequence of slavery.
- Great point: Is a lower class, for example, created by a group that all have common life chance? [remember our discussion on Detroit high school students chances of going to Harvard]
- Is a class defined as a group that all have the same set of life chances? such as chances to have money, meet important people, go to a good high school
- Is “being African American” [or being any race] a “life chance” that results in some consequence?
- The difference between owner, landlord, and tenants is a “class relationship”
- What power does landlord have? Rent ($) and fixing stuff (physical)
- What power does SVSU have over you? Tuition ($), where your dorm or classroom is (physical)…
- “Classes are not communities“
- Status groups… defined by status privileges
- Status groups… a group with special social esteem, honor, and solidarity
- Status honor… is shown by a specific lifestyle
- Do class groups [think: lower class] have a certain lifestyle? Not really…
- The lower class status group has the lifestyle (they could be one in the same group, just different terms: status and class)
- Remember, status is related to property ownership. Class is more of a social stratification.
- So, what is a property class? Haha that’s a combination of our terms… then the discussion gets rather abstract and vague…