Gordon Marshall – författare

In Repositioning Class Gordon Marshall uses the comparative study of British experiences in relation to those of the United States, Scandinavia and the former communist countries of Eastern Europe. Also examined are cases where Britain provides the exclusive focus for discussion either about class itself, or about how sociologists might most usefully pursue class analysis in the future. Specific issues include: the question of meritocracy, the relationship between class and gender, arguments about proletarianization, collective identities and the nature of the so-called underclass in advanced societies.

The book incorporates three alternative conceptions of class. Erik Olin Wright''s structural Marxist account is set alongside John Goldthorpe''s occupational class schema, and the Registrar-General''s prestige and skill-related categories. The authors use their unique data on inequality and conflict in contemporary Britain to provide, for the first time, a rigourous comparison of Marxist, sociological and official class frameworks. The book ranges widely across such topics as sectionalism in the workforce; privatism of families and individuals; fatalism; gender and class processes; sectoral production and consumption cleavages. The authors conclude that class is still crucial in structuring economic, political and social life.

The book incorporates three alternative conceptions of class. Erik Olin Wright''s structural Marxist account is set alongside John Goldthorpe''s occupational class schema, and the Registrar-General''s prestige and skill-related categories. The authors use their unique data on inequality and conflict in contemporary Britain to provide, for the first time, a rigourous comparison of Marxist, sociological and official class frameworks. The book ranges widely across such topics as sectionalism in the workforce; privatism of families and individuals; fatalism; gender and class processes; sectoral production and consumption cleavages. The authors conclude that class is still crucial in structuring economic, political and social life.

In this lively and entertaining book, Gordon Marshall explores ten classic studies of British society to demonstrate the valuable qualities of British sociology, and its importance for understanding contemporary society. In each case he provides a precis of the research undertaken, assuming no prior knowledge on the part of the reader, a series of points that can be made in praise or criticism of the research, and an assessment of the sociological contribution made by the researchers.

The ten studies chosen are: Goldthorpe on social mobility, Townsend on poverty, Rex and Moore on race and the inner city, the Affluent Worker project, Wallis on sectarianism, Jackson and Marsden on education and the working class, Brown and Harris on clinical depression among women, Cohen on deviance, Bott on families and social networks, and Burns and Stalker on management and new technology.

An excellent introduction for the student to the concerns and values of sociology, this book gives a powerful statement of the achievements of post-war British sociologists, and a manifesto for good sociology in the 1990s.

In this lively and entertaining book, Gordon Marshall explores ten classic studies of British society to demonstrate the valuable qualities of British sociology, and its importance for understanding contemporary society. In each case he provides a precis of the research undertaken, assuming no prior knowledge on the part of the reader, a series of points that can be made in praise or criticism of the research, and an assessment of the sociological contribution made by the researchers.

The ten studies chosen are: Goldthorpe on social mobility, Townsend on poverty, Rex and Moore on race and the inner city, the Affluent Worker project, Wallis on sectarianism, Jackson and Marsden on education and the working class, Brown and Harris on clinical depression among women, Cohen on deviance, Bott on families and social networks, and Burns and Stalker on management and new technology.

An excellent introduction for the student to the concerns and values of sociology, this book gives a powerful statement of the achievements of post-war British sociologists, and a manifesto for good sociology in the 1990s.