ABSTRACT
Weberian analysis, in taking market chances as the fundamental determinant of class, tends to make arbitrary distinctions between occupational groups in order to produce boundaries between distinct classes. If there is a discrete body of Weberian theory, it may be constituted by its distinctive treatment of a number of different themes rather than by its sole emphasis on the market. This chapter examines the various theories of the middle class by considering the manner in which the Weberian literature deals with certain matters that must be critical in any analysis of the middle class. The notion of the 'service class' also represents the view that there is an intermediate grouping which has considerable social significance. The use of the term 'intermediate class' also diminishes the significance of the middle class. In much of the sociological literature on class, the distinction between manual and non-manual occupations is assigned considerable importance.
