 | The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (July 2023) |
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In political and sociological theory, the elite (French: élite, from Latin: eligere, to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. Defined by the Cambridge Dictionary, the "elite" are "the richest, most powerful, best-educated, or best-trained group in a society".[1]
American sociologist C. Wright Mills states that members of the elite accept their fellows' position of importance in society.[2] "As a rule, 'they accept one another, understand one another, marry one another, tend to work, and to think, if not together at least alike'."[3][4] It is a well-regulated existence where education plays a critical role.
- ^ "ELITE | definition of the cambridge dictionary". Cambridge Dictionary. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- ^ Doob, Christopher (2013). Social Inequality and Social Stratification in US Society. Pearson Education Inc. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-205-79241-2.
- ^ Doob, Christopher (2013). Social Inequality and Social Stratification in US Society. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-205-79241-2.
- ^ Mills, Charles W. The Power Elite. pp. 4–5.