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The working class is mainly found in Industrialised Capitalist Economies or in Urban Area s of non-industrialised economies. Some people question the usefulness of the concept of a working class, and some deny it exists. However, many Sociologist s, Historian s and Political Theorists use the concept in their Academic theory and practice. DEFINITIONS Definitions of social classes reflect a number of Sociological Perspectives , informed by anthropology, economics, psychology and sociology. The major perspectives historically have been Marxism and Functionalism The Parameter s which Define working class depend on the schema used to define Social Class . For example, a simple Stratum Model Of Class might divide society into a simple hierarchy of Lower Class , Middle Class and Upper Class with working class not specifically designated. Due to the political interest in the working class, debate has been raging over the nature of the working class since the early 19th Century . Two broad schools of definitions emerge, those aligned with 20th Century sociological stratum models of class society, and those aligned with the 19th Century Historical Materialism economic models of the Marxists and Anarchists. The concept of the working class is important in Marxist , Anarchist and Socialist thought, there is a great deal of political interest in the precise definition of who the working class is. Key points of commonality amongst various ideas include the idea that there is one working class, even though it may be internally divided. The idea of one single working class should be contrasted with 18th century conceptions of many Labouring Classes . Marxist definition Karl Marx defined the "working class" or Proletariat as the multitude of individuals who sell their labor power for Wage s and do not own the Means Of Production , and he believed them responsible for creating the Wealth of a society. For example, the members of this class physically build bridges, craft furniture, fix cars, and grow food, but do not themselves own the land or the Factories . The proletariat are the "ordinary" proletariat and the Lumpenproletariat (''rag-proletariat'',) who are extremely poor and cannot find legal work on a regular basis (like Day Laborer s and the Homeless ). As Marxist definitions of class hinge around paid labour and lack of property, key issues in Marxist arguments about working class membership include:
Other definitions Identification of a person as a member of the working class is often based on the nature of the work performed ( Blue Collar / White Collar ) by the person, the income of the person, or the extent of formal education that the person has completed. However, studies of Social Class generally focus on other traits, such as the basis for the person's access to the means of production, or amount of control that the person has over his work environment. Working class people are generally paid Wage s, usually on a weekly or monthly basis. In popular American political discourse, medium-income Skilled Labor ers and Tradespeople are termed "middle class" despite having minimal investment income, as are college-educated white collar workers. Explanations for the situation of the working class have varied dramatically over the centuries and are still hotly contested. The main points of contention are what causes an individual to be a member of the working class, and what are the causes for troubles faced by the working class. HISTORY In feudal Europe, and other Pre-capitalist Societies , the working class as such did not exist in large numbers. Instead, society conceived those engaged in manual labour as labouring classes, a group which united different professions, trades and labours together. In Europe, a lawyer, craftsman and unskilled peasant were all considered to be part of the same social unit, a "third estate" of non-nobles who were not church officials. Similar hierarchies existed outside Europe. The social position of these labouring classes was viewed as natural and ordained by deities. This social position was contested, particularly by peasants, for example during the German Peasants War . In the 18th century in Flanders and England more and more labourers subsisted only on the basis of their labour. They ceased to own tools, land or feudal privileges. Additionally, the dispossession of large numbers of peasants created wandering bands of Vagabonds . These members of society were dispossessed by the wealthy in order to produce marketable commodities. This process, where traditional social and political roles are destroyed, and capitalist commodity relations are substituted, is bound up with the generation of working classes across the world and is commonly known as proletarianisation. In the late 18th century, the European society was in a state of change, and this change could not be reconciled with the idea of a changeless god-created social order. Wealthy members of these societies created ideologies which blamed many of the problems of working-class people on the morals and ethics of the working class themselves (i.e. excessive consumption of Alcohol , perceived Laziness and inability to save money). These processes were identified in English History by E.P. Thompson in his book '' The Making Of The English Working Class ''. Thompson argues that the English working class was present at its own creation, and seeks to describe the transformation of pre-modern labouring classes into a modern, politically self-conscious, working class. CULTURE AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS As the working class is divided among nations, and internally divided along very broad lines of rural, blue collar and white collar occupations, there is no one unitary culture. Working class cultures tend to be identified on national and occupational bases, for instance, Australian rural working class culture or New Zealand white collar working class culture. There are however many Stereotype s of the working class. Working class culture in the United States In the United States, the working class is divided between Blue-collar Worker s and White-collar Worker s, who if unionized may also be part of the Lower Middle Class . Social and emotional life According to Rubin (1976) there is a differential in social and emotional skills both between working class men and women and between the blue-color working class and more sophisticated college-educated workers. Working class men are characterized by Rubin as taking a "rational" posture while women are characterized as being more emotional and oriented towards communication of feelings. This constellation of issues has been explored in the popular media, for example, the television shows, All In The Family featuring Archie Bunker and his wife Edith Bunker and Roseanne . These popular television programs also explored generational change and conflict in working class families. SEE ALSO
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