Compare And Contrast Max Weber's Theory Of Stratification

992 Words4 Pages
Introduction From time immemorial, scholars have reviewed and criticized theories from various quarters. This study compares and contrasts the perspectives of different scholars on the Max Weber’s theory of stratification. In his theory, Weber postulated a three-component theory determined by class, power, and status, which is widely known as the three-class system or the Weberian stratification. The theory is based on four important principles where social stratification is delineated as universal, is regarded as a societal trait, a universal principle, and it involves inequality as well as beliefs (Pyakuryal 1968). Main body Gane’s (2005) perspective on the Weber theory of social stratification is that it develops the theory of social stratification by classifying the social into economy and society. In Weber’s social stratification theory, the class is not treated as a social form; rather it occupies an economic position. The party and the status are the only social forms in Weber’s proposition on social stratification. This perspective of Gane (2005) underpins the importance of Weber’s theory in elevating the social theory by extending the theory beyond the social structures to the privileges that exist in social relationship. This makes the social stratification theory to extend beyond national boundaries. Weber extends the theory of the social in relation to the economic and political order in the society. It can be viewed as the distribution of power within a