Class in Twentieth-Century American Sociology: An Analysis of Theories and Measurement Strategies

Michael Grimes looks at the voluminous scholarly literature published by American social scientists in the twentieth century and provides an overview and critique of the major theories, conceptualizations, and measurements of class inequality. No book published since the late fifties has had such scope. This volume assembles a framework for interpreting and understanding the changing character of the theories and methodologies used by scholars to study class inequality based on two schools of social theory--order and conflict--each with different assumptions about human nature and society, and about the unique role(s) that class plays in society. Grimes contends that theoretical perspectives result from the interaction of the unique biographies of theorists with the sociohistorical, ideological, and disciplinary settings within which they work, and that the relative popularity of perspectives on the subject within the discipline has varied over time as the setting has changed. Part I of the book assesses the diverse perspectives on class inequality of early American sociologists. Part II examines the rise of functionalism within American sociology and its subsequent application to the issue of class inequality. Two conflict perspectives on inequality--labeled neo-Weberian and neo-Marxist theories--are discussed in Part III, while Part IV provides a summary and concludes that there is evidence of a convergence of sorts among contemporary perspectives on class inequality within the discipline. The colume is organized to facilitate use by graduate students and advanced undergraduate students as well as by professional social scientists--particularly sociologists.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction The Study of Class in American Sociology The Analysis of Class Inequality in Early American Sociology The Emergence of Functionalist Theories of Class Inequality Early Functionalism: Social Anthropological Analyses of Class Inequality in American Community Life The Functionalist Perspective on Class Inequality Applying the Functionalist Perspective on Class Inequality in Social Science Research The Emergence of Conflict Theories of Class Inequality Neo-Weberian Theories of Class Inequality Neo-Marxist Perspectives on Class Inequality Summary and Conclusions Index

About the Author :
MICHAEL D. GRIMES is Associate Professor of Sociology at Louisiana State University. In his career, he has produced over 40 publications including 20 articles in academic journals on various aspects of political, gender, racial/ethnic, and class inequality.

Review :
?Although filled with insights about stratification, this book's primary purpose is to critique the career of social inequality as a concern in sociology. Thus, it is rooted more in the sociology of knowledge and the philosophy of science than in the sociology of stratification. Grimes examines 20th-century shifts in both the theoretical orientations and in the approaches to measurement for class' in American social science. From single-site community studies to national surveys, and through periods of domestic economic expansion and decline, the combination of social climate, scholars' particular backgrounds, and the stage of disciplinary development is explored to explain the rising theoretical hegemony of functionalism until midcentury and the increasing credibility of neo-Marxist and neo-Weberian alternatives thereafter. Grimes inspects the ideological assumptions implicit in the range of methods, operationalizations, and interpretations, as well as tendencies toward convergence and divergence in sociological thinking about class. His analysis includes all the major publications one would expect, and concludes with an appraisal of Eric Olin Wright's contributions to contemporary class analysis. This is a well-documented publication for advanced students and faculty, with an excellent set of references.?-Choice "Although filled with insights about stratification, this book's primary purpose is to critique the career of social inequality as a concern in sociology. Thus, it is rooted more in the sociology of knowledge and the philosophy of science than in the sociology of stratification. Grimes examines 20th-century shifts in both the theoretical orientations and in the approaches to measurement for class' in American social science. From single-site community studies to national surveys, and through periods of domestic economic expansion and decline, the combination of social climate, scholars' particular backgrounds, and the stage of disciplinary development is explored to explain the rising theoretical hegemony of functionalism until midcentury and the increasing credibility of neo-Marxist and neo-Weberian alternatives thereafter. Grimes inspects the ideological assumptions implicit in the range of methods, operationalizations, and interpretations, as well as tendencies toward convergence and divergence in sociological thinking about class. His analysis includes all the major publications one would expect, and concludes with an appraisal of Eric Olin Wright's contributions to contemporary class analysis. This is a well-documented publication for advanced students and faculty, with an excellent set of references."-Choice