Thesis abstract:

«p»The study of social class has been a cornerstone of sociological inquiry since the discipline's inception. Over time, approaches to class analysis have evolved in response to shifting social structures, economic transformations, and theoretical developments. Despite arguments that class has lost relevance in post-industrial societies, class analysis remains crucial in contemporary sociology. As economic inequality continues to grow globally, interest in class has resurged, prompting scholars to develop new frameworks that capture its complex manifestations in the 21st century. This calls for a renewed examination of the significance of class, integrating both theoretical perspectives and practical concerns. Theoretically, enduring contributions from scholars such as Bourdieu, Giddens, Savage, and Erik Olin Wright demonstrate that class remains a powerful and essential framework for understanding social groups. Bourdieu conceptualizes class and status through various forms of capital and elaborates on capital reproduction via the mechanisms of habitus and field. Giddens, through his distinction between mediate and proximate structuration, highlights how both localized and overarching factors shape class structures, rendering them analytically traceable. Wright's work addressed a fundamental challenge in Marxist class theory: reconciling traditional bipolar class models with the complexities of modern capitalist societies. These theoretical perspectives reaffirm the relevance of class analysis, not only as an academic practice but also as a critical perspective for examining and responding to the constantly shifting socioeconomic and political landscape of modern society. The theoretical exploration of class attempts to integrate the logic of class existence in contemporary capitalist societies, in particular, they emphasize that collective inequality has not been entirely replaced by individualized forms. Attending to the practical dimension of class serves both to maintain its connection to real-world conditions and to foster continued reflection on the epistemological authority and classificatory practices embedded in the concept of class.«/p»