Max Weber on Power and Social Stratification

First published in 1997, this book revolves around a textual analysis of the Weberian thesis that 'classes', 'status groups' and 'parties are phenomena of the distribution of power within a 'community'. An internal reconstruction of Webers own ideas on what is called social stratification in contemporary sociological discourse is undertaken. The reason for this reconstruction inheres in the fact that Webers thought (especially in the field of social stratification) has been modified and misappropriated to such an extent that Weber himself is usually lost in the commentaries. Moreover, this reconstruction is crucial because the secondary literature does not contain a single account teasing out the analytic structure underlying Webers statements on the nature of social inequality in various societies. It is the principal intention of the book, then, to retrieve the essential form and significance of Webers ideas on social stratification.