Embourgeoisement thesis
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The Embourgeoisement Hypothesis is the argument that, contrary to the class conflict theory of Karl Marx (1818-1883), increasing numbers of what might traditionally be classified as working class people are coming to assume the lifestyle and individualistic values of the so-called middle classes.
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[edit] Background
Charles E. Hurst [1] describes this change to be a result of the post-industrialization of society, in which there are far fewer manual labor jobs, which is the main classification of blue-collar work. With post-industrialization, former upper-level blue-collar workers are moving to white-collar work because of the decreased availability and prestige of manual labor jobs. Even when their actual jobs do not change, their lifestyles based on their job situation often change into a lifestyle that according to Mayer and Buckley, more closely resembles the lower-middle class than the rest of the lower blue-collar workers. The result of this idea of embourgeoisement is that more people are incorporated into the middle-class. As a result, there is decreased class consciousness and declining working class solidarity [2] . This in turn could lead to less group action among the lower class if trying to get more rights or changes within their job field. The topic was widely discussed in academic circles in the 1960s following the publication of The Affluent Worker in the Class Structure ISBN 0-521-09533-6 by John H. Goldthorpe in 1963.
[edit] Embourgeoisement vs. Proletarianization
The idea of embourgeoisement, which is viewed as a more conservative view, is an opposing theory to proletarianization, a Marxist theory, which says more white-collar jobs are becoming routine and menial and therefore can be classified as blue-collar, meaning a shrinking middle class[1].
[edit] Criticisms
The idea of embourgeoisement is part of a socioeconomic view of class structure. An opposing view of class structure is the Marxist view that class is economically based on an individual’s relationship to production. Therefore, Marx does not view class as being affected by prestige or status related to jobs, like the embourgeoisement theory, but rather solely on the individuals relation to production.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Embourgeoisement thesis entry at the University of Canterbury Glossary of Sociological Terms
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