Synopses & Reviews
Class affects not only our material wealth but our access to relationships and practices which we have reason to value, including the esteem or respect of others and hence our sense of self-worth. It determines the kind of people we become and our chances of living a fulfilling life. Applying concepts from moral philosophy and social theory to empirical studies of class, this accessible study demonstrates how people are valued in a context of the lottery of birth class, or forces having little to do with moral qualities or other merits.
Review
"Andrew Sayers' book The Moral Significance of Class is a profound exploration of the complex intersections between morality...and the analysis of social class. It is stimulating and insightful both in the overall thrust of its argument and the details of its analysis." -Erik Olin Wright, American Journal of Sociology
Review
"This book will be useful to scholars with an interest in Bourdieu's sociological theory, class analysis, issues of distribution and recognition, and critical social theories. Those who advocate a sharp separation between the normative and the positive in social science will probably not be convinced, but others looking to renew critical sociology through an understanding of the normative dimension of social life will find much to consider." -Michèle Ollivier, Canadian Journal of Sociology Online
Synopsis
Class affects not only our material wealth but our access to relationships and practices which we have reason to value, including the esteem or respect of others and hence our sense of self-worth. It determines the kind of people we become and our chances of living a fulfilling life. Applying concepts from moral philosophy and social theory to empirical studies of class, this accessible study demonstrates how people are valued in a context of the lottery of birth class, or forces having little to do with moral qualities or other merits.
About the Author
Andrew Sayer is Professor of Social Theory and Political Economy at the Department of Sociology, Lancaster University. His publications include Microcircuits of Capital (1988, with K. J. Morgan), Method in Social Science (1992), The New Social Economy (1992, with R. A. Walker), Radical Political Economy: A Critique (1995), and Realism and Social Science (2000), and over eighty articles.
Table of Contents
Preface and acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; 2. From habitus to ethical dispositions; 3. Recognition and distribution; 4. Concepts of class: clearing the ground; 5. Struggles of the social field; 6. Moral and immoral sentiments and class; 7. Responses to class I. egalitarianism, respect(ability), class pride and moral boundary drawing; 8. Responses to class II. explanations, justifications and embarrassment; 9. Conclusions and implications; References.