Dados is one of the most widely-read social sciences journals in Latin America. Created in 1966, it publishes innovative works, originating from academic research, by Brazilian and foreign authors. Edited by IESP-UERJ, it aims to reconcile scientific rigor and academic excellence with an emphasis on public debate based on the analysis of substantive issues of society and politics.
Dados vol. 41 n. 2 Rio de Janeiro 1998
Abstract
In a contribution to systematic empirical research, this discussion of Erik Wright's neo-Marxist class theory and typology constructs a class typology for contemporary capitalist society based on the appropriation of assets like means of production, skills or credentials, and domination within production. A micro-level conception of class locations is designed (seeking to capture the constraints acting on agents), where these locations are structurally interconnected within macrostructural class relations. Class typology addresses differentiations between the owners of capital and wage employees (middle-class positions) within contemporary capitalist society but displays methodological limitations when it comes to the analytical exploration of extremes in class structure (big capital and underclass). Brazilian sociology should become more familiar with this move towards renewal within Marxist tradition, discussing it and making it part of empirical research.
Keywords: class analysis, social classes, neo-Marxist theory, contemporary Marxism
DOI: 10.1590/S0011-52581998000200004
A Teoria e a Tipologia de Classe Neomarxista de Erik Olin Wright
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