cover rub marks and scratches. minor edge and corner wear. page edges starting to yellow. no marks on text.

254 pages. 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".

This book provides a concise guide to the historical development of the concept of class an the different ways in which it has been applied in social and political theory. The author begins by determining where and how the word acquired its political sense, and after a short re-examination of its classical background, moves on to consider Marx's reformulation of the concept and his proposals for making it a fundamental term in the study of society. He traces the different strands of Marxist and non-Marxist use of the term up to the twentieth century, considers the present-day confusion of ideas that has resulted, and analyzes the utility of class in assessing the nature of contemporary socialist states and post-industrial capitalist societies. In conclusion, Dr. Calvert suggests that class is an essentially contested concept - that is, a concept on which agreement is by its very nature impossible.