Raymond Hsu

28 June 2015
Stratification Definitions
Social Stratification
Social stratification is a method of categorizing people in a society into a hierarchy. A
social class is almost directly connected to social stratification because in order have different
classes you would first need to categorize society and people into different classes using
methods derived from social stratification. There are four different system of stratification. The
first is the two level stratification, with those who are free and those who are not. Ancient Greek
cities like Athene followed this system with pretty much just citizens and slaves for their two
classes. The second is the caste system. The caste system works by getting a class assign to
them from birth, often times just which ever class his or her parents are in. India, for example,
more or less is still a caste system. The third system, which has been mostly abandoned, is the
estate system. The estate system splits society up into three groups, the noble, clergy, and
common. This system was widely used by most of medieval Europe. The last system is the
class system, which is based off of mostly how much material wealth one have. The class
system is also the system that most modern societies use. A closed system is one with limited
class mobility, which would generally apply to the first three system. Those same three system,
slavery, caste, and estate are also the ones that have ascribed status, as those in the higher
class are simply born into the class rather than earning their place. Although many would argue
that the class system that is based off of wealth that America uses today also reflects on
ascribed status rather than achieved, there is still many people who achieved their status with
accomplishments in their life.

Mean of Production

Karl Marx described means of production as as the combination of both subject of labour
plus the instruments of labour. Basically, land and resources are the subjects of labour, while
factories and machineries are the instruments of labour. For Karl Marx, society was split up
between just two groups, those who own the means of production, the rich, and those who
dont, the poor. The bourgeoisie were the rich who owned the means of production, while
proletariat were the poor who were forced to work for those who own the means of production.
Class consciousness, another term coined by Karl Marx, describe belief that a person has about
the social class that he or she is currently in, and how they are conscious of his or her class
interest. Dominant ideology is the term describing the most prevalent ideas and class conscious
in each class. With those ideas being the most prevalent, they then also become the dominant
ideas. Finally there false consciousness, which is a term used by Marxists to describe the false
ideology that the higher classes may spread around in a capitalist society.
Weber's Definitions of Class, Status Group & Party
Max Webers stratification has its greatest difference in that Weber does believe that
class equals status, as he created a whole another category for status. On the basis of just
class, however, Weber and Marx shared quite the similar view. Both Weber and Marx tied the
idea of class very closely with economics and how much resources one possessed. Weber
believed that "the emergence of economic power may be the consequence of power existing
on other grounds", and status, is a combination of both economic power and other powers.
Those other powers, which is included in Webers status group, are honor, religion, and
prestige. Finally, the other group of status defined by Weber is party, which is actually just
political power.
Cultural Capital
Cultural capital are the non-economic, non-finance assets that are able to help increase
social mobility. Cultural capitals are linked with class difference because, despite being a noneconomic asset, often time the higher ones class is, the more cultural capital they will have. For

example, education, a cultural capital, is class separated, but those who have more money, will
be able to get a better education than those who dont. As stated by weber, one of the main
status is prestige, and many cultural capitals are plagued by the idea of prestige. Cultural
capitals such as education, fashion, and even accents, all have some form of prestige
associated with them, and from there is where the power difference can be seen through
cultural capitals. In material, social, and cultural resources, stuff like what brand of phone a
person uses, how he or she speaks, and the knowledge or education he or she possesses are
all cultural capitals. In terms of housing, attire, food, and sports, there is location, where they
live, what they were, their fashion sense, what kind of food they eat, and finally if they play
sports.