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Status class
Encyclopedia
The German sociologist Max Weber
formulated a three-component theory of stratification
in which he defines status group (also known as status class or status estate
) as a group of people (part of a society
) that can be differentiated on the basis of non-economical qualities like honour
, prestige
and religion
. Since Max Weber, the issue of status inconsistency has been the object of many studies, particularly in the post-industrial societies
and also because of an intervening factor: religion, particularly in emerging nations.
Weber writes that status groups emerge out of "the house of honor."
Such status honor is contrasted with:
Weber's discussion of the relationships between status groups, social class, and political parties is found in his essay "Class, Status, Party" which was written in German before World War I. The first English translation was done by Hans Gerth and C. Wright Mills
and published in the 1940s. This version has been republished many times since. A new English translation called "The distribution of power within the community: Classes, Stände, Parties" and translated by Dagmar Waters and her colleagues was recently published in the Journal of Classical Sociology (2010).
Max Weber
Karl Emil Maximilian "Max" Weber was a German sociologist and political economist who profoundly influenced social theory, social research, and the discipline of sociology itself...
formulated a three-component theory of stratification
Three-component theory of stratification
The three-component theory of stratification, more widely known as Weberian Stratification or Three Class System, was developed by German sociologist Max Weber with class, status and party as distinct ideal types. Weber developed a multidimensional approach to Social stratification that reflects...
in which he defines status group (also known as status class or status estate
Estates of the realm
The Estates of the realm were the broad social orders of the hierarchically conceived society, recognized in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period in Christian Europe; they are sometimes distinguished as the three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and commoners, and are often referred to by...
) as a group of people (part of a society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
) that can be differentiated on the basis of non-economical qualities like honour
Honour
Honour or honor is an abstract concept entailing a perceived quality of worthiness and respectability that affects both the social standing and the self-evaluation of an individual or corporate body such as a family, school, regiment or nation...
, prestige
Prestige (sociology)
Prestige is a word commonly used to describe reputation or esteem, though it has three somewhat related meanings that, to some degree, may be contradictory. Which meaning applies depends on the historical context and the person using the word....
and religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
. Since Max Weber, the issue of status inconsistency has been the object of many studies, particularly in the post-industrial societies
Post-industrial society
If a nation becomes "post-industrial" it passes through, or dodges, a phase of society predominated by a manufacturing-based economy and moves on to a structure of society based on the provision of information, innovation, finance, and services.-Characteristics:...
and also because of an intervening factor: religion, particularly in emerging nations.
Weber writes that status groups emerge out of "the house of honor."
Such status honor is contrasted with:
- social classSocial classSocial classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
, based on economically determined relationship in the house of the marketplace. - partyPartyA party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, or recreation. A party will typically feature food and beverages, and often music and dancing as well....
, based on affiliationsPolitical partyA political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in the political domainPoliticsPolitics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, or the house of power.
Weber's discussion of the relationships between status groups, social class, and political parties is found in his essay "Class, Status, Party" which was written in German before World War I. The first English translation was done by Hans Gerth and C. Wright Mills
C. Wright Mills
Charles Wright Mills was an American sociologist. Mills is best remembered for his 1959 book The Sociological Imagination in which he lays out a view of the proper relationship between biography and history, theory and method in sociological scholarship...
and published in the 1940s. This version has been republished many times since. A new English translation called "The distribution of power within the community: Classes, Stände, Parties" and translated by Dagmar Waters and her colleagues was recently published in the Journal of Classical Sociology (2010).
See also
- Social stratificationSocial stratificationIn sociology the social stratification is a concept of class, involving the "classification of persons into groups based on shared socio-economic conditions ... a relational set of inequalities with economic, social, political and ideological dimensions."...
- CasteCasteCaste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
s - KinshipKinshipKinship is a relationship between any entities that share a genealogical origin, through either biological, cultural, or historical descent. And descent groups, lineages, etc. are treated in their own subsections....
- Cultural capitalCultural capitalThe term cultural capital refers to non-financial social assets; they may be educational or intellectual, which might promote social mobility beyond economic means....
- Symbolic capitalSymbolic capitalIn sociology and anthropology, symbolic capital can be referred to as the resources available to an individual on the basis of honor, prestige or recognition, and functions as an authoritative embodiment of cultural value...
- Charismatic authorityCharismatic authorityThe sociologist Max Weber defined charismatic authority as "resting on devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him." Charismatic authority is one of three forms of authority laid out...