SEMESTER SPRING 2012
Cultural Anthropology (SOC401)
Assignment No. 02
Due Date: 13
th
June, 2012 Marks: 15
No More Existence of Social Class
In recent years, there has been a vigorous debate about the usefulness of ‘class.’ Some
theorists, such as Ra
y Pahl, have even questioned whether it is still a useful concept in
attempting to understand contemporary societies. Australian academics Jan Pakulski and
Malcolm Waters have been prominent amongst those who argue that class is no longer the
key to understanding the contemporary societies. In their book, The Death of Class,
they
argue that contemporary societies have undergone profound social changes and are no
longer to be accurately seen as ‘class societies.’
A time of social change
Pakulski and Waters
argue that industrial societies are now undergoing a period of
tremendous social change. We are witnessing a period when the political, social and
economic importance of class is in decline. Industrial societies have exchanged from being
organized class s
ocieties to a new stage which Pakulski and Waters call ‘status
conventionalism’ in which they argue that inequalities although they remain, are the result
of differences in status and in the lifestyle and consumption patterns favored by such status
groups. Class is no longer an important factor in a person’s identity and class communities.
The changes have been accompanied by an increase in consumer power. In even more
competitive and diverse markets, firms have to be much more sensitive in heeding the
wis
hes of consumers. There has thus been a shift in the balance of power in advanced
industrial societies. What makes out the unprivileged in contemporary society what Pakulski
and Waters refer to as an ‘ascriptively dispreviliged underclass’ is their inabili
ty to engage
in ‘status consumption’ which is to say, their inability to buy cars, cloths, houses,
holidays
and other consumer goods. For Pakulski and Waters, contemporary societies are stratified
but this stratification is achieved through cultural consump
tion, not class position in the
division of labor.
In the light of above theoretical explanation of social class given by Pakulski and
Waters, answer the following questions:
1. Is social class, as Pakulski and Waters argue, really dead? 3
2. If social class is dead as Pakulski and Waters assume then how do you see the
verdict of conflict theorists about social class in this situation? 7
3. Do you see yourself as a member of a particular class? If so, how has it affected
your life? 5
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