Chapter 4 Overview

This chapter begins by introducing two of the most prominent social theorists in the study of class and inequality: Karl Marx and Max Weber. Both theorized that class influenced human behaviour, but both explained class differently. Marx explained class primarily in terms of the struggle between two classes—the bourgeoisie (or capitalists) and the proletariat (or workers)—as they wrestled over control of property and surplus value. Capitalists seek to maximize surplus value at the expense of workers’ wages and this relationship creates poverty and resistance to capitalism in human societies organized according to a capitalist system.

The theory of Max Weber focuses on theorizing class but expands on Marx’s theory to include additional classes such as the specialist class, and additional sources of power beyond the power capitalists possess due to their ownership of property. Weber explained that people also wield power over other humans according to their social status and by organizing parties to wield power in societies.

Finally, this chapter uses the work of both theorists to introduce students to important concepts in the study of poverty. Sociologists usually explain poverty using the concept of socio-economic status, a measure of an individual’s or family’s social and economic position relative to others. The level of poverty in a society is influenced by social mobility in that society—the less chance individuals have of improving their socio-economic status, the poorer they become.