In The Marxian Workshops

Brings together a close reading of Marx texts with contemporary debates on the production of subjectivity and offers a critical and postcolonial perspective on the subjectivity of labour, and contemporary capitalism.

First published in 1994. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

In Classes: A Marxist Critique, Paul Kamolnick has produced what may prove to be the most fundamental critique of Erik Olin Wright's class structure analysis to date. The recent publication of Wright's Classes has raised a number of central questions regarding his continuing project on the class structures of advanced capitalist societies. Has Wright now totally abandoned Marxism in favor of orthodox neo-classical economics, social psychology, and Weberian stratification theory? How does Wright's latest argument relate to his earlier work, especially his critique of Paulantzas? What is the meaning of Wright's dependence on Jon Elster, John Roemer, and the 'rational actor' subject grounded in the doctrine self-proclaimed methodological individualism? Following an extended critical Preface, Kamolnick first situates Wright within the social formation of a sociological and Althusserian Marxism while arguing the basic continuity between Wright's earlier and later work on class. Though Marxism must itself always remain a social formation, Kamolnick argues that Wright rejects Marxism in favor of bourgeois academic sociology. In chapters two and three kamolnick reveals how Wright's new theory of class consciousness is incapable of producing a knowledge of class structure and how Wright is led to rely ultimately on non-Marxist, bourgeois practices of science and knowledge production in order to overcome this. Classes: A Marxist Critique ends by considering the implications for Wright's new transnational data set of his failure to ground a knowledge of class structure, and finally, by arguing for the new directions Marxist class analysis should take in the 1980s and beyond. The thrust of Kamolnick's argument is the challenge for Marxists to revolutionize present sociologized practices of the labor process, objectivity, knowledge production, and Marxism itself. Class analysis must completely break with abstract sociologism and ground itself thoroughly within the concrete process of self-object

Scientific Essay from the year 2016 in the subject Sociology - Social System and Social Structure, , language: English, abstract: Social class issues have taken a crucial role in the social sciences (Martti, 2000). The term ‘social class’ was developed in the 18th and 19th centuries and has been used widely, particularly by sociologists and political-economic theorists such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Karl Marx, Max Weber, Ralf Dahrendorf and so on (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2012). It is clear that societies have been stratified into various classes (Roberts, 2001). Social inequality and the differences between people are two such obvious characteristics in every society that it has become necessary to classify society into the different classes (Crompton and Gubbay, 1980). Furthermore, Steenberge (2012) states that "normally, individuals are grouped into classes based on their economic positions and similar political and economic interests within their culture". Inequalities can be seen as being stratified on the basis of social class and this has been a main area of Marx’s theory. Social class is a key to comprehending the different social opportunities available to different social groups and individuals in societies (Marsh et al, 2000). In the Communist Manifesto, Marx saw the whole of society as likely to have just two huge classes; Bourgeoisie and Proletariat, which come into direct conflict with one another, especially in capitalist societies (Crompton, 1993). Whilst, Weber’s viewpoint about social class is analogous with Marx perspective, he supposed that having private property could have a role in the formation of social classes in societies (Reid, 1981). He also assumed that the variances between social classes in society might be a source of social conflict between them but viewed the conflict in a different way to Marx, as Weber had seen that the social struggle between the classes over making goods as a normal conflict in all societies. A further divergence in Dahrendorf and Marx perspectives is that the former focuses on the amount of power to explain the structure of social class in society.

Professor Wesolowski presents a detailed study of Marx's theory of class structure and compares it with non-Marxist theories of social stratification, in particular the functionalist theory of stratification and the theory of power elite. He is also concerned to develop and extend the Marxist approach to the study of class structure and social stratification in a socialist society. The book begins with a thorough and original reconstruction of Marx's theory of class domination in a capitalist society, and goes on to show that contemporary non-Marxist theories of power elites complement rather than contradict Marx's concept of class domination. The author examines in detail the functionalist theory of stratification, but rejects it, preferring the Marxist approach. Finally, though, he demonstrates the complementary nature of the two approaches to the study of class structure by expounding a comprehensive paradigm for empirical research based on Marxist theory but including some elements of contemporary stratification theories as well.

In recent years a remarkable range of new work has been produced dealing with class inequalities, the division of labor, and the state. In these writings scholars previously working in isolation from one another in sociology, economics, political science, and history have found common ground. Much of this work has been influenced by Marxist theory, but at the same time it has involved critiques of established Marxist views, and incorporated ideas drawn from other sources. These developments have until now not been reflected in existing course texts which are often diffusely concerned with “social stratification” and lack reference to contemporary theory. Classes, Power, and Conflict breaks new ground in providing a comprehensive introduction to current debates and contemporary research. In also connects these to the classical sources, concentrating particularly on Marx, Lenin and Weber. The book therefore offers a comprehensive coverage of materials for students who have little or no prior acquaintance with the field. Each section of the book contains a substantial introduction, explaining and expanding on the themes of the selections contained within that section. Classes, Power, and Conflict can be expected to become the standard text for courses in sociology and political science.