ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author outlines in more detail several key variable properties of stratification. The empirical loadings of these basic properties of stratification determine the degree to which a population is stratified. Stratification peaked with advanced agrarianism often in its feudal forms, and then inequality declined a bit with industrialization, but this decline was relatively modest, because most industrial and post-industrial societies still reveal high levels of inequality and stratification. Sociological theory's emphasis on economic and political capital, to phrase the matter somewhat differently, distorts the conceptualization of stratification to such an extent that many of the most important dynamics of stratification systems are ignored, or at least underemphasized. A high degree of class formation would involve relatively high levels of homogeneity among members of this class, with respect to several key variables. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
