Social Class: WTF? Introduction to Bourdieu and Marx on class

Summary

In this video, Tom discusses the concept of social class within contemporary capitalist societies. He explores the theories of Karl Marx, who emphasizes the economic division between the proletariat and bourgeoisie, and Pierre Bourdieu, who expands the concept with economic, social, and cultural capital. Tom explains how these theories highlight the power dynamics and inequalities present in society, underscoring the relevance of class in understanding social and cultural phenomena. The video offers an introductory look at these critical concepts, inviting viewers to delve deeper into the subject.

Takeaways

• 🎭 The video is part of a series called 'What the Theory?' that introduces critical concepts within the humanities.
• 📚 The focus of the video is on the concept of 'class', specifically within contemporary capitalist societies.
• 🕵️ Karl Marx's theory is introduced, emphasizing class as a defining tension in the capitalist system, with a historical struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie.
• 🏭 The proletariat are the working class who earn a living through labor, while the bourgeoisie own the means of production and earn through profit, rent, and interest.
• 💰 Marx argues that the bourgeoisie's wealth grows through interest and inheritance, giving them a significant power advantage over the working class.
• 📉 During economic downturns, it's common for the lowest jobs to be cut first, highlighting the power dynamics between classes.
• 📚 Thomas Piketty's work is mentioned, providing insights into how wealth has accumulated in fewer hands over time.
• 🤔 Pierre Bourdieu's theory is presented as a more granular approach to class, considering economic, social, and cultural capital.
• 🤝 Social capital refers to the advantages gained through social and familial relationships.
• 🎨 Cultural capital involves the aesthetic tastes and preferences that guide individuals towards certain social positions and life paths.
• 🔄 Both Marx and Bourdieu agree that socio-cultural and economic capital influence each other, affecting an individual's or group's empowerment in society.
• 🌐 Despite arguments that class may be outdated, the video argues that class distinctions and financial inequality are growing globally, making class a critical concept in understanding contemporary society.

Q & A

What is the main focus of Tom's channel?

Tom's channel focuses on discussing theatre, being a PhD student, and the intersection of these two topics.

What series is Tom introducing in this video?

Tom is introducing the 'What the Theory?' series, which provides introductory videos on critical concepts within the humanities.

How does Tom define 'class' in the context of this video?

Tom defines 'class' as a way of breaking down society hierarchically to compare the power an individual or group has in comparison to others within the same society.

What does Tom suggest is the starting point for understanding class in contemporary society?

Tom suggests starting with Karl Marx's perspective on class, which sees it as the defining tension of the capitalist system.

According to Marx, what distinguishes the proletariat from the bourgeoisie?

Marx distinguishes the proletariat as the working class who earn a living by performing tasks for a wage, while the bourgeoisie own the means of production and earn money through profit, rent, and interest.

How does Tom describe the power dynamics between the bourgeoisie and the working class?

Tom describes the power dynamics as significantly skewed towards the bourgeoisie, who have more financial capital and thus more influence over political policies and parties.

What does Tom mention about the role of familial inheritance in class dynamics?

Tom mentions that familial inheritance is important as it allows the bourgeoisie to pass on wealth to the next generation, giving them a head start not available to those lower in the class system.

Which author does Tom reference for a detailed analysis of capital accumulation over time?

Tom references Thomas Piketty and his book 'Capital in the 21st Century' for an insightful analysis of how capital has accumulated into fewer hands over the past 200 years.

How does Pierre Bourdieu's theory of class differ from Marx's?

Bourdieu's theory of class includes three contributing factors: economic capital, social capital, and cultural capital, offering a more granular system of class analysis than Marx's binary system.

What does Bourdieu define as 'cultural capital'?

Bourdieu defines 'cultural capital' as the aesthetic tastes and preferences learned in society that subconsciously guide individuals towards a certain position in life and influence their social class.

How does Tom conclude the importance of class in contemporary society?

Tom concludes that despite arguments that class may be a thing of the past, it is actually central to contemporary society, with financial inequality growing and class distinctions becoming more pronounced.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Class in Capitalist Societies

Tom introduces his video series 'What the Theory?' focusing on critical concepts within the humanities, specifically social class in contemporary capitalist societies. He outlines class as a hierarchical breakdown of society based on power dynamics and introduces Karl Marx's theory of class struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, defined by their relationship to the means of production. Tom explains the economic roles and power disparities between workers who earn wages and capitalists who own production means, and how this affects job security and wealth accumulation.

05:05

🏛️ Expanding on Class Analysis with Bourdieu's Capitals

The second paragraph delves into Pierre Bourdieu's more nuanced approach to class, which includes economic, social, and cultural capital. Economic capital is similar to Marx's concept, but social capital adds the influence of familial and social networks, while cultural capital encompasses the tastes and preferences influenced by upbringing that can affect social positioning. Tom discusses how these capitals interplay, with cultural capital potentially influencing economic outcomes. He contrasts Marx's focus on production relations with Bourdieu's interest in class as a social phenomenon, and emphasizes the ongoing relevance of class analysis in understanding societal power structures and financial inequalities.

Keywords

💡Class

Class, or social class, is a hierarchical breakdown of society that allows for the comparison of power dynamics between individuals or groups. In the video, class is discussed primarily in the context of contemporary capitalist societies, with a focus on the power imbalances between different classes. The script uses terms like 'middle class' and 'working class' to illustrate common colloquial references to class distinctions.

💡Marx

Karl Marx is referenced as a foundational theorist who viewed class as the central tension within the capitalist system. His theory posits that history is marked by the struggle between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. In the script, Marx's framing is used to define class by one's relationship to the means of production, highlighting the power dynamics inherent in capitalist societies.

💡Proletariat

The proletariat, according to Marx, are the working class who earn a living by performing tasks in return for a wage. The script explains that they are distinct from the bourgeoisie by their lack of ownership over the means of production, which positions them as the labor force in a capitalist system.

💡Bourgeoisie

The bourgeoisie are those who own the means of production in a capitalist system, such as factories, patents, or land. The script describes how they generate income through profit, rent, and interest, and how this economic advantage translates into significant social power.

💡Means of Production

The means of production refer to the resources used in the production of goods or services, such as factories, machinery, or land. The script uses this concept to differentiate between the proletariat, who sell their labor, and the bourgeoisie, who own and control these resources.

💡Capital

Capital, in the context of the video, refers to the wealth or resources owned by the bourgeoisie, which is used to generate profit and increase their power within society. The script mentions how capital accumulation over time has led to wealth becoming concentrated in fewer hands.

💡Petty Bourgeoisie

The term 'petty bourgeoisie' or 'middle class' is mentioned by Marx but not fully elaborated upon in his theories. The script suggests that this class might consist of small business owners or highly paid professionals, indicating a middle ground between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie.

💡Bourdieu

Pierre Bourdieu is introduced as a French sociologist who offers a more nuanced analysis of class, incorporating economic, social, and cultural capital. The script explains that Bourdieu's theory provides a more granular understanding of class distinctions beyond the binary system proposed by Marx.

💡Economic Capital

Economic capital, as discussed by both Marx and Bourdieu, refers to the financial assets and resources that an individual or group possesses. The script illustrates how economic capital is a significant factor in determining one's social class and power within society.

💡Social Capital

Social capital, a concept introduced by Bourdieu, acknowledges the advantages that come from an individual's or group's social and familial relationships. The script gives the example of using connections to secure a job, which demonstrates how social capital can influence one's social and economic opportunities.

💡Cultural Capital

Cultural capital, according to Bourdieu, refers to the aesthetic tastes and preferences that guide individuals towards certain social positions. The script explains that cultural capital includes activities, tastes, and behaviors that are associated with specific social classes, such as attending the opera versus a football match, and how these contribute to one's social identity.

Highlights

Introduction to the series 'What the Theory?' focusing on critical concepts within the humanities.

Exploration of the concept of class in society, particularly in contemporary capitalist societies.

Definition of class as a hierarchical breakdown to compare power and influence among individuals and groups.

Differentiation between colloquial terms like 'middle class' or 'working class' and the theoretical understanding of class.

Introduction of Karl Marx's perspective on class as the defining tension of the capitalist system.

Marx's distinction between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie based on the relationship to the means of production.

Explanation of how the bourgeoisie accumulate wealth through speculation, profit, rent, and interest.

Discussion on the power dynamics and the impact of capital on job security and investment opportunities.

Importance of familial inheritance in maintaining and growing class advantages.

Introduction of Thomas Piketty's work on the accumulation of capital and its concentration over time.

Marx's binary system of class and the limited exploration of the middle class within his framework.

Pierre Bourdieu's more granular system for analyzing class through economic, social, and cultural capital.

Bourdieu's concept of social capital and its influence through social and familial relationships.

Cultural capital as a complex notion guiding individuals towards certain social positions based on aesthetic tastes.

Bourdieu's argument on the interplay between cultural capital and economic outcomes in society.

The significance of class in understanding financial inequality and its growing distinction globally.

Class as a key element in any critical approach to the humanities, culture, or social sciences.

Invitation for viewers to engage with the content, provide feedback, and suggest future topics.

Transcripts

Hello, my name's Tom and welcome back to my channel where I talk a little bit about

theatre, a little bit about being a PhD student, and a little bit about those

two things kind of crushed together in a vice. Today, I wanted to add to my series

What the Theory? in which I do some introductory videos on some

critical concepts within the humanities. And today, we are going to look

at class.

Broadly speaking class, or social class, is a way of breaking down society

hierarchically so we can compare how much power an individual or group of

people has in comparison to another group or individual within the same

society. Colloquially and in political discourse we often hear terms like

middle class or working-class thrown around. But what I wanted to do today was

foreground two particular theories which provide a theoretical underpinning for

that notion. Now, it's worth saying that class has

taken many different forms across time and across geography so today I'm

primarily speaking about class as it relates to contemporary capitalist

societies. Feudal systems, caste systems and those involving slavery all have a

deep intersection with class but they sit slightly outside my field

of knowledge so I will leave it to someone else to create a wonderful

YouTube video about those. A useful place to start with class in contemporary

society then, is with Karl Marx. Marx saw class not just as a theoretical concept

or social construct but as the defining tension of the capitalist system. History,

as he had it, was the long struggle between the proletariat and the

bourgeoisie. The distinction between where one sits within Marx's framing is

in what one's relationship is to the means of production. The proletariat, then,

are the working classes, those who earn a living by performing a task--whatever

type of task that might be--in return for a wage. The bourgeoisie are those who,

under a capitalist system, own the means of production which might be a factory,

it might be a patent for a particular technology, or it might be land. Their

money is made through speculation, profit, rent and interest. For example, a member

of the bourgeoisie might own all or part of a company through which they employ a

number of proletarians or workers to create, design and then market and

deliver an object. The company then sells that object for more than the cost of

the materials used to make it and the cost of paying the workers to do all

that previously mentioned work to provide a nice tidy profit for our

capitalists. So, while the worker must spend quite a lot of what they earn on

food and housing and the necessities, our capitalist has quite a lot of money left

over after fulfilling those desires. As such, they are able to go away and invest

in further projects therefore increasing the amount of profit they will make in

the future. Thus the bourgeoisie have a significant

power advantage over the working class. When profits start to fall at a particular

company, we quite often see that it's those jobs at the very bottom of the

ladder that start to go first. Our capitalist, with their abundance of

capital, might just decide to diversify their interests slightly. Familial

inheritance is really important here too, with the bourgeoisie leaving quite a lot

of their wealth to the next generation and therefore giving their next of kin a

head start which is not available to those further down the class system. In

Capital in the 21st Century, Thomas Piketty gives a really insightful

(if slightly dense) rundown of how capital has accumulated into fewer and fewer

hands over the last 200 years or so. The crux of Marx's argument, then, is that the

bourgeoisie continue to grow their wealth through interest, profit, rent and

inheritance so their power within society grows and they are able to

influence political policies and parties. To Marx, then, class, social power and

social standing are very much rooted in the amount of financial capital an

individual or a group has. Notably, this is a very binary system and although Marx

does mention the existence of the so called petty bourgeoisie, or middle class,

he doesn't flash this idea out fully beyond suggesting that they might be

small business owners or those very highly paid professionals. To find a

more granular system of analyzing class, then, we might turn to the French

sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. Bourdieu suggests that social class is made up of three contributing factors:

economic capital, social capital and cultural capital. This is a slightly more

complex system but allows us for a slightly more specific analysis than the

orthodox Marxist approach. Economic capital works much the same as it does

in Marx's system, recognizing how much economic power an individual or group

has within society. Social capital, then, acknowledges

the social and familial relationships that an individual or group might have that

might give them a certain advantage in life. For example, having a friend of the

family work at a particular firm who can introduce you or perhaps get you a job

might count as being an aspect of social capital. Cultural capital is perhaps the

most complex notion within Bourdieu's theory and refers to how the aesthetic

tastes that we are taught by the society around us as we are young

subconsciously guide us towards a certain position in life. Certain activities are

related to certain social classes, for example, in the UK going to live football

might be deemed to be a working class activity whereas going to the Opera

might seem like quite a bourgeois activity. There's a similar distinction

between hip-hop and classical music but we can also extend this notion beyond to

potentially the clothes that people wear, the way they talk, their accent, or the

food that they choose to eat. All of these things count as class markers on a

person. For example when someone might describe something as being a little bit

middle class or a little bit common. Bourdieu's argument is that by learning

these behaviors and learning to preference these particular activities

we learn what class we're meant to be in and therefore we decide which social

groups to exist within and therefore what jobs who might be available to us

in the future. Broadly speaking, then, when Marx

emphasizes economic capital and suggests that that grows to have an influence on

culture, Bourdieu suggests that our individual cultural capital has an

impact on how much economic capital we might earn. Bourdieu is less interested

in our relationship to the means of production than with class as a social

phenomenon. Both Marx and Bourdieu, however, are very clear that

socio-cultural capital and economic capital have an impact on one another.

And, if you'd like to unpack that notion a little bit more, I did a video on the

concept of hegemony a little while ago which you can go and find. However

much it's argued that class is potentially a thing of the past, I think,

by using some of the methods that I've brought through in this video, we can see

that it's actually at the very heart of contemporary society.

Financial inequality is indeed growing across the globe and, with it, the

distinction between classes. Therefore in any critical approach to the humanities,

to culture or the social sciences, I think class has to be in there

somewhere and it's really key to unlocking the empowerment or otherwise

of an individual or group within society. Thank you very much for watching this

video, I hope this has given you a few tasters of some concepts of class

and maybe some ideas of where to go off and look for some slightly more deeper

reading somewhere else.Thank you very much for watching, if you've enjoyed

this video please do give it a thumbs up or let me know down below if there's any

subjects you'd like me to cover in the future as that's always super, super handy.

Thank you very much for watching and have a great week!