Information AboutSocial Class |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT SOCIAL CLASS | |
| social classes | |
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Social class refers to the Hierarchical distinctions between individuals or groups in Societies or Cultures . Most societies, particularly Nation States , seem to have some definition of social class. However, less complex societies such as Hunter-gatherers , may or may not have any notion of class. Where social classes do exist, the factors that determine class vary widely from one society to another. Even within a society, different people or groups may have very different ideas about what makes one "high" or "low" in the Social Hierarchy . The most basic class distinction between the two groups is between the powerful and the powerless. Social classes with more Power usually Subordinate classes with less power, while attempting to cement their own power positions in society. Social classes with a great deal of power are usually viewed as Elite s, at least within their own societies. In the simplest societies, power/class hierarchies may or may not exist. In societies where they do exist, power may be linked to physical strength, and therefore age, Gender , and physical Health are common delineators of class. However, spiritual Charisma and religious Vision can be at least as important. Also, because different livelihoods are so closely intertwined in simple societies, Morality often ensures that the old, the young, the weak, and the sick maintain a relatively equal standard of living despite low class. In so-called Non-stratified Societies or Acephalous Societies , there is no concept of social class, power, or hierarchy beyond temporary or limited Social Statuses . In such societies, every individual has a roughly equal social standing in most situations. In societies where classes exist, one's class is determined largely by:
Those who can attain a position of power in a society will often adopt distinctive lifestyles to emphasize their Prestige and to further rank themselves within the powerful class. Often the adoption of these stylistic traits are as important as one's wealth in determining class status, at least at the higher levels:
Finally, fluid notions such as Race can have widely varying degrees of influence on class standing. Having characteristics of a particular ethnic group may improve one's class status in many societies. However, what is considered "racially superior" in one society can often be exactly the opposite in another. In situations where such factors are an issue, a minority ethnicity has often been hidden, or discreetly ignored if the person in question has otherwise attained the requirements to be of a higher class. Ethnicity is still often the single most overarching issue of class status in some societies (see the articles on Apartheid , the Caste System In Africa , and the Japanese Burakumin ethnic minority for examples). However, a distinction should be made between Causation And Correlation when it comes to race and class. Some societies have a high correlation between particular classes and race, but this is not necessarily an indication that race is a factor in the determination of class. THE MIDDLE CLASS See Also: middle class For most of human history, societies have been agricultural and have existed with essentially two classes - those who owned productive agricultural land, and those who worked for them. The landowning class often arranged itself into a sometimes elaborate hierarchy based on the criteria listed in the previous section, without changing the essential power relationship of owner and worker. About the 1770s, when the term "social class" first entered the English lexicon, the concept of a "middle class" within that structure was also becoming very important. The Industrial Revolution was allowing a much greater portion of the population time for the kind of education and cultural refinement once restricted to the European Leisure Class of large landholders. Also, the far greater distribution of news and Liberal Arts knowledge was making workers question and rebel against the privileges and religious assumptions of the leisure class. Today, most talk of social class assumes three general categories: an upper class of powerful owners, a middle class of people who may not exert power over others but do control their own destiny to a certain extent through commerce or land ownership, and a lower class of people who own neither property nor stock in the corporate system, and who rely on wages from above for their livelihood. Since the Age Of Revolution , Eurocentric governments have generally upheld the middle class as the ideal, and have at least claimed to be working toward expanding it. Especially in the United States, the ideal of a Middle Class reached via the American Dream is of central importance when discussing social class. US middle class See Also: American middle class |
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