ABSTRACT
Most sociological analyses of class proceed from an implicit assumption of class and community solidarities. Even when classes are recognised as divided into ‘fractions’ (Hall et al. 1978:345; Miles and Phizacklea 1980) or ‘estates’ (Rex and Tomlinson 1979), the internal solidarities of these fractions or status groups are regarded as relatively stable, the product of objective material forces. Attention is rarely drawn to the fact that internally opposed ideologies, such as those generated by the rise of the radical left and right within the political arena, may cut across such fractions or status groups.
