A MARXIST CRITIQUE OF WEBERIAN CLASS ANALYSES

Almost without exception, defenders and critics of the (Weberian) proj ect of class analysis have denied the validity and utility of what the y take to be Marxist conceptions of class. It is argued here that: fir st, the aims and structure of Marxist class analysis are quite differe nt from those of Weberian class analysis; second, sociological contrib utions to the current debate have failed to address the most significa nt insights of Marxist class analysis, namely the labour theory of val ue; and third, Wright's supposedly exemplary Marxist research programm e, being also deficient in this respect, shares common ground with its Weberian critics. Thus the case for Marxist class analysis has gone b y default, a situation which this paper attempts to redress.