Page 59 - DSOC202_SOCIAL_STRATIFICATION_ENGLISH

Social Stratification

Notes social honour, and power is not the only source of social honour. Thus, status is determined by the
social honour one enjoys, and the latter is expressed through different “styles of life”. After this
quintessential introduction to the Weberian theory of social stratification, we may work on details
based on his classical essay “Class, Status, Party”.
Economically Determined Power and the Social Order
The structure of every legal order directly influences the distribution of power, economic or
otherwise, within its respective community. This is true of all legal orders and not only that of the
state. Weber writes : “In general, we understand by ‘power’ the chance of a man or of a number
of men to realize their own will in a communal action even against the resistance of others, who
are participating in action.”
“Economically conditioned” power is not, of course, identical with “power” as such. On the
contrary, the emergence of economic power may be the consequence of power existing on other
grounds. Man does not strive for power only in order to enrich himself economically. Power,
including economic power, may be valued “for its own sake”.
Very frequently, the striving for power is also conditioned by the “social honour” it entails. Not
all power, however, entails social honour. Mere economic power or naked money power is by no
means a recognized basis of social honour. Nor is power the only basis of social honour. Indeed,
social honour, or prestige, may even be the basis of political or economic power.
Power as well as honour may be guaranteed by the legal order, but normally it is not their
primary source. The legal order is an additional source, and it cannot always serve them.
“Social order” is defined by the way in which social honour is distributed in a society. The social
order and the economic, order are related to the legal order. However, the two are not identical.
The way in which economic goods and services are distributed and used determines the economic
order.

The social order is determined by the economic order to a high degree and in turn reacts
upon it. Thus, “classes”, “status groups” and “parties” are phenomena of the distribution
of power within a community.

Determination of Class Situation by Market Situation
Classes are not communities. They merely represent possible and frequent communal (collective/
communitarian) action. According to Weber, we may speak of class when :
1. a number of people have in common a specific causal component of their life chances;
2. in so far as, this component is represented exclusively by economic interests in the possession
of goods and opportunities for income; and
3. further, it is represented under the conditions of the commodity or labour markets.
These three points refer to a “class situation”. It implies the following points :
1. The typical chance for supply of goods.
2. External living conditions.
3. Personal life experiences.
Further, this chance is determined by the amount and the kind of power or lack of such, to dispose
of goods or skills for the sake of income in a given economic order.
Thus, “the term ‘class’ refers to any group of people that is found in the same class situation”.
Competition eliminates some and patronizes others. Monopoly occurs either due to absence or
weak competition or when the rival is ousted from competition.

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