Class and politics

Over the past two centuries, class has stood at the core of political contention and social research, shaping the identities, life chances, and trajectories of millions of people around the world. Yet the last four decades have witnessed a marked decline in the perceived relevance of class in political life and public debate.

This course explores the relationship between class and politics in the 21st century. How should class be defined today? How does it intersect with other key dimensions of inequality and identity, such as race and gender? How are class identities constructed, negotiated, and transformed, and to what extent do they influence political attitudes and behaviour? What role does class play in both conventional and unconventional forms of political participation?

Bridging the fields of economic sociology and collective action studies, the course addresses these questions through an examination of contemporary debates on class formation, political mobilisation, and social change.