class and class struggle
class and class struggle
- Neville Morley
Summary
Class is a highly contested term that is deployed in different ways in both modern social analysis and ancient history. It can denote a group within a social hierarchy—the “Roman upper class,” for example—in which case it is serviceable but descriptive rather than analytical. The more technical Marxist definition, identifying class as an objective condition determined by a relationship with the economic organisation of society and inevitably entailing “class conflict” between groups with opposed interests, makes grander claims about its capacity to explain historical developments but raises many more questions about whether it is appropriate for the interpretation of Greek or Roman society.
Subjects
- Ancient Economy
Updated in this version
Article and bibliography rewritten and expanded to reflect current scholarship.
