Marx, Weber, and Wright. They all have their own ideas on what makes a social class come into being. When looking at all three theories it is a bit difficult to pull out the nuanced differences at first but over time and through class discussion I have come to see these three theories in the following way:
Marx – This man believed that class conflict and the class structure of his time (c1848) was investable based on industrialization. He believed that class structure was a historical development that had to happen just as socialism has to come next in our social development.
Weber – This man believed that the development of class status was not inevitable but was nuanced and ambiguous. Furthermore, those within a class structure do not clearly see their place in the structure. What changes the social structure for Weber is communal action (much like Marx who saw socialism as a result of unionization). However, unlike Marx, Weber believed that individuals maintain a closer relationship with their own communities than with their class.
Wright – This man believed that while Marx may have had a point he was to limiting and that if we are going to talk about class we need to talk about a Middle Class. He also believed that historical circumstances and everyday change brings about changes to the social structure but that these changes are not inevitable. They are based on the differentiation of skills, authority, and expertise and what is valued at that moment in society.
Although the differences are subtle they are there. If anything I believe that as time progressed the theories became more believable. However, I also think that it is hard to define what makes class even after the fact. There are too many minute details that make up a person’s identity and with that a group’s identity to say this is what makes the middle class. However difficult this task may be though I believe that the search for a standard theory is important if only to spark debate.
Overall I have to ask though, do we really need theory to tell us how life is? Is it so bad for someone to think that they are doing better than they are? Or does this only lead to consumerism and a debt raked society? If it is the latter that I say theorize on but if it is the former I would prefer to be kept in the dark with my warm and happy thoughts of where I could be someday.
Perhaps we need theories to help us understand how and why things happen and how they are experienced. I think the key issue with MWW is that they are trying to help us understand how people come to see themselves as part of a working class, or why they don't. Of course it is not bad to think we are doing better and optimism is always necessary. However, their point is not about how we are doing but how people historically have come to understand their identity. And what that might mean for the possibility of social change.
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