Chinese Journal of Sociology ›› 2017, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (1): 94-126.

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Workers,Capital and the State: A Relational Perspective on the Study of Working Class

MAO Dan1, ZHANG Hong2   

  1. 1. Department of Sociology, Center for Local Government Studies, Zhejiang University;
    2. Department of Politics, Zhejiang University
  • Online:2017-01-20 Published:2017-01-20
  • Supported by:

    This research is supported by the National Social Science Fund of China (11ASH005)

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Abstract:

In recent years, the problem of labor and labor-capital conflicts in China has caused deep concerns. Sociologists are confronted with the question of why the typical working class issue of labor-capital clash occurs in frequency in a socialist country but not in the developed capitalist countries. Should this phenomenon be regarded as normal social problems? Or a target area of social class analysis? How much is the relevance of the waning social class analysis of classical sociology to this issue? Through an in-depth literature review this paper suggests a state-centered interpretation that sees class and its conception as relational. The status as well as the nature of the working class has to be analyzed through a triangle relationship between workers, capitalists and the state. In a capitalist society, the state dominates this triangle relationship and is capable of shaping the working class and molding the relationship between labor and capital. The state does not behave merely as the stereotyped spokesman for the dominant class. How the state handles the relation between labor and capital determines the intensity of the conflicts and whether the working class acts as agitators or cooperators. Similarly, whether the sociological class analysis still has its potential in contemporary society is determined by the role and the policies of the state in dealing with the relation between labor and capital. By its action, the state can either help dissolve social antagonism and incorporate the working class into order and cooperation, or provoke workers' opposition. Under the former situation, the significance of sociological class analysis would become much less apparent, however, under the latter, class analysis is not just an appropriate theoretical analytic tool but also has great significance in practice. This perspective is also applicable to the working class issues in socialist countries.

Key words: working class, social transformation, the state