Class and Class Conflict in the Age of Globalization

Social classes and class conflict have defined social relations ever since the division of society into hostile classes based on the exploitation and oppression of one class by another. This has become especially important in modern capitalist society through the globalization process, where class divisions have solidified with enormous inequalities in wealth and income that are the most glaring in the history of humanity. Class and Class Conflict in the Age of Globalization presents a macro-sociological analysis of class and class conflict through a comparative-historical perspective. Focusing on class as the motive force of social transformation, Berberoglu explores class relations and class conflict in a variety of social settings, stressing the centrality of this phenomenon in defining social relations across societies in the age of globalization. Going beyond the analysis of class and class conflict on a world scale, the book addresses the role of the state, nation/nationalism, and religion, as well as the impact of race and gender on class relations in the early twenty-first century.

In this superb and compelling book, Berberoglu revisits the centrality of class relations and class struggle in twenty-first century societies marked by global capitalism, neoliberalism, intensified forms of exploitation and oppression, and emerging social movements. He presents a clear and powerful analysis of the complexities of class dynamics in relation to the historical and contemporary processes of state, national, religious, racial and gender oppression, the crisis of transnational capital, and the possibility of social transformation in the age of globalization., Class and Class Conflict in the Age of Globalization stands out as one of a handful of efforts to advance a critical class analysis of the political economy of globalization. In addition to addressing the economic polarization and the political repression that have become part and parcel with global capitalism, Berberoglu explains the problems of nationalism and religious fundamentalism in the context of global class conflicts, offering a comprehensive understanding of the social fault lines we confront in this challenging period of human history., Class and Class Conflict in the Age of Globalization offers an analysis that is concise, creative, and sophisticated. Berberoglu ties together essential factors in today's political terrain: globalization, the state, class conflict, the continued salience of racism and sexism, and the impact of nationalism and religion when they are added to the mix. He confronts the worst of humanity's troubles while offering a concept and framework for understanding our plight and taking action to create change. That concept is social class, the core of the exploitation we see around us locally and globally. However, as Berberoglu writes, social class and class conflict are also the bases of social change, which has fueled our resistance historically and can create the ideologies and social movements to help us find a way forward., The book is highly informative and includes a great deal of valid and valuable knowledge, making it worth reading.

Berch Berberoglu is Foundation Professor of Sociology and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Sociology at the University of Nevada, Reno. Dr. Berberoglu has authored and edited thirty two books and many articles in numerous scholarly journals. His areas of specialization are globalization, political economy of development, class analysis, the state, social movements, and social change.