Class is not only amongst the oldest and most controversial of all concepts in social science
but also a topic which has fascinated amused incensed and galvanized the general public. But
what exactly is a 'class'? How do sociologists study and measure it and how does it correspond
to everyday understandings of social difference in the twenty-first century? In a time when
inequality has dramatically returned to the social scientific and political agenda this
accessible and lively book explores these questions and more. It takes readers through the key
theoretical traditions in class research the major controversies that have shaken the field
and the continuing effects of class difference class struggle and class inequality across a
range of domains. This new edition covers the latest research and scholarship and includes
extended discussions of race the rise of national populism and the reconfigurations of class
in a global age. This book will appeal to students and scholars across the social sciences and
anyone wanting to get a handle on this provocative concept.
