Recursive Social Stratification Theory: Rethinking Social Class Through a Nine-Tier Model of Society: Rupesh Ranjan
Recursive Social Stratification Theory: Rethinking Social Class Through a Nine-Tier Model of Society Rupesh Ranjan Introduction How should we classify society? This question has occupied social scientists for more than a century. From Karl Marx's division between capitalists and workers to Max Weber's multidimensional approach based on class, status, and power, scholars have continuously sought to understand how inequality is structured and reproduced. Despite major advances in sociology, economics, and political science, one challenge remains: broad social categories often conceal significant differences within them. When we say that someone belongs to the "upper class," what exactly does that mean? Does a billionaire investor occupy the same social position as a highly paid surgeon? Are all members of the middle class equally secure? Do all members of the lower class experience the same degree of disadvantage? The answer is clearly no. Yet much of our language and m...