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In Marxism, class consciousness is the set of beliefs that persons hold regarding their social class or economic rank in society, the structure of their class, and their common class interests.[1][2] According to Karl Marx, class consciousness is an awareness that is key to sparking a revolution which would "create a dictatorship of the proletariat, transforming it from a wage-earning, propertyless mass into the ruling class".[3]
Although Marxists tend to focus on class consciousness (or its absence) among the proletariat, the upper classes in society can also think and act in a class-conscious way. As Leonard Fein pointed out, "The very rich have been well aware of their class privilege and have labored mightily to protect and defend it".[4][5]
- ^ Erik Olin Wright (2006). "Class". In Beckert, Jens; Zafirovski, Milan (eds.). International Encyclopedia of Economic Sociology. Routledge. p. 62. ISBN 978-0415286732.
- ^ Elizabeth Borland (2008). "Class consciousness". In Parrillo, Vincent N. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Social Problems, Volume 1. SAGE Publications. p. 134. ISBN 978-1412941655.
- ^ Laura Desfor Edles; Scott Appelrouth (2020). Sociological Theory in the Classical Era. SAGE Publications. p. 48. ISBN 978-1506347820.
- ^ Leonard Fein (June 17, 2012). "Where Is Class Consciousness?". Forward.
- ^ Michael Parenti (1978). "Class Consciousness and Individualized Consciousness". Power and the Powerless. St. Martin's Press. pp. 94–113. ISBN 0-312-63373-4.