How Class Works: Power and Social Movement

by Stanley Aronowitz

Although Americans like to believe that they live in a classless society, Stanley Aronowitz demonstrates that class remains a potent force. Defining class as the power of social groups to make a difference, he explains that social groups such as labor movements, environmental activists, and feminists become classes when they make demands that change the course of history.
“With How Class Works Aronowitz puts the subject of social class squarely on the intellectual agenda—though in a new, inclusive, and dynamic form. Like his influential False Promises, How Class Works is both intellectually exciting and morally challenging.”—Barbara Ehrenreich
“In How Class Works Aronowitz argues for the enduring vitality of the concept of social class as a way of understanding social relations. This is a significant contribution to social theory, an argument certain to be widely considered, debated, and tested.”—George Lipsitz, author of American Studies in a Moment of Danger
“An intellectually captivating book on a topic that remains as timely and significant as ever.”—Howard Kimeldorf, University of Michigan

Genres: Sociology, Politics, Social Movements, Class, Economics, Philosophy, Nonfiction

263 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 2003

About the author

Stanley Aronowitz (1933–2021) was a professor of sociology, cultural studies, and urban education at the CUNY Graduate Center. He was also a veteran political activist and cultural critic, an advocate for organized labor and a member of the interim consultative committee of the International Organization for a Participatory Society.

In 2012, Aronowitz was awarded the Center for Study of Working Class Life's Lifetime Achievement Award at Stony Brook University.

Reviews

[Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought this would be a conceptual book on class. It reads more like a short history of social and labor movements of the past few decades. If there is a distinction drawn and analysis of class it is between the ruling class and the working class.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely some interesting ideas in here. Sometimes Aronowitz gets too into the history of class politics and loses track of the points he is trying to make about the mechanisms of class politics. It is not always clear whether this is "how class works" as in how social class determines society or "how class works" as in the use of class as an analytic framework. One gets the sense the author has lectured and written about this topic many times over a long career, so he almost has too much to say.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a rock solid piece of social science that offers good insight into social movements and their relation to economics.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent explanation of how social class works, examining the roles played by social movements, power, and history.