The concept of class has always been central in sociological theory and has generated endless debate. The aim of this dissertation is to explore an issue that I maintain has not received sufficient attention in sociological literature, namely, the competing understandings of class that underpin these debates. In this dissertation I conduct an in-depth analysis of four prominent theorists of class to show that class has been conceptualized in different and often contradictory ways. I focus on four key traditions: classical Marxism, Althusser's structuralism, Laclau's postmodernism, and Bourdieu's constructive or generic structuralism. I raise the question of whether the competing understandings of class in these theoretical traditions indicate a move towards abandoning the notion of class formations in sociological theorizing or whether they signify a movement towards a more complex, sophisticated, and encompasing understanding of class. After a deep-dive into understandings of class in the four traditions I have identified, I conclude by arguing that the latter is the case. That is, I argue that the shifts in the understandings of class represented in the work of Karl Marx, Louis Althusser, Ernesto Laclau and Pierre Bourdieu unveil a path towards a notion of class that can usefully guide and provide much needed coherence to the future discussions of class in sociology. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / The concept of class has always been central to sociological theory and has generated endless debate. The aim of this dissertation is to explore an issue that I maintain has not received sufficient attention in sociological literature, namely, the competing understandings of class that underpin this debate. In this dissertation I conduct an in-depth analysis of four prominent theorists of class to show that class has been conceptualized in different and often contradictory ways. I focus on four key traditions: classical Marxism, Althusser's structuralism, Laclau's postmodernism and Bourdieu's constructive or generic structuralism.

Thesis (doctoral)--Stockholms universitet, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 202-213).