Stratification in the Mass Society

Abstract

IT IS a commonplace to state that the study of social stratification is in a chaotic state. One writer has recently said that There is no general agreement among sociologists at the present time as to what factor or combination of factors delineates the social class. All concur that the concept of class deals with the horizontal stratification of a population, but whether it is based on economic power, occupation, status feelings, culture differences, or their combination, and to what extent separate group life is indicated by the term, are questions on which there is no substantial agreement.' And another has commented that Although well aware of social class, social scientists have been more concerned with their theories and with quarelling among themselves about what social class is than studying its realities in the daily lives of people.2 It is impossible not to agree with the general tenor of these statements. However, all is not lost so long as it is possible to place the varying theoretical and empirical materials in any sort of sensible order. And this at least does seem possible. Moreover, it is the thesis of this paper that once placed in this order, the materials do reveal a promising amount of convergence. As widely variant as sociologists may have been with respect to this problem, the consequences of their thinking and research are adequate to provide some identification of a common frontier, or frontiers, which now should and can be penetrated.