ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 suggested that if class analysis is to remain a live area of enquiry it needs to examine emerging social groups such as the middle classes, rather than keep the lens focused on groups such as the working class. Traditionally, however, historians, sociologists and geographers have found it much easier to examine the working class or the “ruling class” than the more messy and fragmented middle class. However, in the past few years a number of important and significant contributions have been made to the task of thinking about the position and role of the middle class, or middle classes, in modern societies, and this chapter reviews the basic features of various relevant approaches as an introduction to some of the specific issues discussed in the following chapters.
