Embourgeoisement thesis

The embourgeoisement thesis is the argument that, contrary to the class conflict theory of Karl Marx (1818–1883), increasing numbers of what might traditionally be classified as working class people are coming to assume the lifestyle and individualistic values of the so-called middle classes, and hence reject commitment to collective social and economic goals. The opposite would be class consciousness.

The topic was widely discussed in academic circles in the 1960s following the publication of The Affluent Worker in the Class Structure ISBN 0521095336 by John H. Goldthorpe in 1963.

See also

• classlessness
• class consciousness

External links

• Embourgeoisement thesis entry at the University of Canterbury Glossary of Sociological Terms