Средната класа като универсален социално-структурен елемент на обществото
The Middle Class as a Universal Socio-Structural Element of the Society?

Summary/Abstract: What is the middle class — is it universally present as a component in all systems of social stratification or is it a characteristic privilege only of the economically and politically developed societies? The article argues that the middle class and strata are a universal phenomenon. One of the orientations is the search for the general characteristics of this phenomenon — in terms of structures, functions, reproduction, roles, etc. — in various historical epochs, different regions and countries of the world. A second orientation is the critique of mental habits and complexes both in mass consciousness and in the minds of the sociologists themselves: the one-sided interpretation of the middle class which assumes property and income to be its main and decisive characteristic; ignoring the multidimensional qualities of all social groups of a startle nature as well as the specific synthetism, the importance of the socio-economic dimension (occupational status in employment, ownership and powerful position in the working activity). Proofs are sought in the argumentation for constructing the classifications of categories, groups and strata. A third aspect is the insufficient understanding of the way in which the middle class and middle strata exist, esp. the con-cretization at the most general macrolevel.

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