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Pakulski and Waters

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What do Pakulski and Waters mean when they say class is dead? In the chapter ‘The Shifting Sands of Structure’, Pakulski and Waters are talking about the declining relevance of Marxist class theory in the evaluation of modern capitalism. “Actual social developments have defined both predications of progressive polarisation and conflict and the emancipatory promise of social revolution” (Pakulski and Waters 1996:28). The perceived ‘death of class’ according to this chapter is due the economic reductionism of class theory in Political Economy, which was caused continual evolution of theories of class structure combined with by the capricious development of Liberal-Democratic societies. Together they have led to social theories, which …show more content…

However, the struggles for such entitlements can be interpreted in class terms. Consumption Theorists: Weber, Veblen - Consumption, lifestyle, and taste is a basis for social division. For example Bogans vs Hipsters or Class vs Swag Theorist: Saunders - Social divisions are caused through relationships towards modes of consumption. - Saunders uses the example of privatised and collectivised housing. The stratifying capacity of educational qualifications, professional knowledge and skills - Rise of new classes: o Corporate elites o Managerial classes o Professional and white-collar classes o Under classes Theorist: Dahrendorf - Attempt to reconstruct class schemes in a quasi-Weberian model emphasising authority relations - Radical transformation of the capitalist class into owner-shareholder - Fragmentation of the working class into:

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