Marxist Class Theory: Competition, Contingency and Intermediate Class Positions

Understanding the nature and role of social class divisions in a society dominated by the capitalist mode of production is a complex undertaking. In this chapter, the author discusses four themes which are fundamental to the study of social class within Marxism. The first relates to the specific character of Marxism as a theory of society, including what is generally described as its 'stratified realist ontology'. The second describes how social class processes relate to the production and distribution of value. The third refers to competition between rival capitals (and blocs of capital) and the last one involves the labour market and its links to class. The author draws on the notion of 'functions of capital' (Carchedi 1991) in the aim of providing a more solid theoretical grounding for the 'intermediate' classes that are situated between capital and labour. Of the arguments made in the chapter, the most original involves the link between capitalist competition and class, including the definition of an intermediate class which operates on behalf of capital – either within a capitalist firm or within the state – to promote its competitiveness vis-à-vis rival capitals and to expand market share. By integrating the horizontal axis of capitalist competition within class theory, it is possible to develop a coherent theoretical account of intermediate class positions which can accommodate both private sector and state labour processes. This involves abandoning attempts to theorise the 'new middle class' by reference to contradictory class locations, trust or ideological role. All such attempts appear destined to fail, as they rely on arbitrary distinctions, illicit generalisations or rigid tautologies. The alternative approach presented here draws on the notion of 'functions of capital' to identify two intermediate class fractions between capital and labour, alongside the petty bourgeoisie, comprising 'managers' and 'expert aides', who together constitute the 'new middle class'.