Class-in-itself

Class-in-itself Definition

Class-in-itself is a sociological concept developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels to describe the material conditions under which groups of workers possess sufficient shared material interests to occupy a similar objective class position. This condition arose primarily from the experience of urban living, where numerous individuals were aggregated to work in various factories. The material similarities inherent in these workers’ lives, often coupled with widespread poverty and misery during the period when the concept was formulated, formed the basis for this classification.

Origins and Context

The concept originated within Marxist theory as an analysis of industrial society. It addresses the objective reality of how material conditions shape social relations, focusing on the shared economic experience of the proletariat rather than purely abstract philosophical notions.

Relationship to Other Concepts

Class-in-itself is intrinsically linked to the opposing concept of class-for-itself. While class-in-itself refers to the objective, material reality of shared conditions, class-for-itself refers to the subjective, conscious, and political relationship individuals develop in response to those material conditions.