The Debate on Classes (Verso Classic) - Softcover

Wright, Erik Olin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1859842801 ISBN 13: 9781859842805

Publisher: Verso Books, 1998

Synopsis

Erik Olin Wright’s Classes was hailed on publication, by the American Journal of Sociology, as “almost certain to be the most important book on social classes” of the decade. Wright presented a bold attempt—through the subtle use of the tools of analytical Marxism—to resolve some of the long-standing problems in contemporary class theory.

The Debate on Classes brings together major critics of Wright’s work to assess the adequacy of his theory. From differing perspectives, they deploy a range of empirical data—from studies undertaken in a number of countries—and they address questions as varied as the concept of “contradictory class locations,” the continuing coherence of Marxist approaches to class, the relation between stratification and social development, as well as the contentious roles of gender and ethnicity in generating inequality, and the central problem of the import of “consciousness” and concrete political activity on class composition.

Also included are Wright’s own spirited responses and reformulations in the light of these criticisms, thereby presenting the reader with an open, scholarly discussion in which intellectual collaboration develops an understanding of the impact of class on the wider terrain of culture and politics.

About this title

About the Author

Erik Olin Wright is Vilas Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin. He is the author of many books, including Classes, Interrogating Inequality, Class Counts, Deepening Democracy (with Archon Fung), and Envisioning Real Utopias. For more information on Envisioning Real Utopias and the Real Utopias project, and to access book content, please visit realutopias.org. 

Michael Burawoy is Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Guglielmo Carchedi is Senior Researcher in the Department of Economics and Econometrics at the University of Amsterdam. His previous books include Frontiers of Political Economy and Marx and Non-Equilibrium Economics.

Review

Praise for Classes: "The most impressive book on class I have read in some years." - Michael Mann, Contemporary Sociology "An empirically supported reformulation of class theory that achieves exemplary standards of critique, complexity and clarity." - Claus Offe "Erik Olin Wright's Classes is almost certain to be the most important book on social classes this decade ... the book presents a major breakthrough in the conceptualization of class relations ... and it will be required reading for all macro-sociologists." - American Journal of Sociology

Edition details

• Publisher: Verso Books
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 1859842801
• ISBN 13: 9781859842805
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 366