| Introduction: |
Significance
of the topic, intentions, motivation |
7 |
| |
|
|
| Part
One |
HUMAN
COMMUNITIES AND SOCIAL GROUPS:
COMMON
NATURE |
|
|
1.
|
Human
communities as means of existence of society and individuals |
21 |
|
2.
|
The
essence and classification of communities |
26 |
|
3.
|
Social
groups: characteristics and mechanism of differentiation |
39 |
|
4.
|
How
do social groups ‘work’? |
46 |
| |
|
|
| Part
Two |
SOCIAL
STRATIFICATION:
SYSTEM-HIERARCHICAL
GROUPED INEQUALITY |
|
|
1.
|
Research
interests in social stratification |
|
|
1.1.
|
Scale
and necessities for rehabilitation of concepts |
52 |
|
1.2.
|
Stratification,
strata and status |
58 |
|
2.
|
Dimensions
and scope of stratification |
|
|
2.1.
|
Aspects
and approaches to stratification |
66 |
|
2.2.
|
Class
& stratification |
72 |
|
3.
|
Risks
of empirical and field identification and registration |
|
|
3.1.
|
Access
and ‘accessories’ of social status |
78 |
|
3.2.
|
‘Invisible’
and informal inequality: ‘crippled’ stratification |
87 |
|
4.
|
Measurement
and typologies of the group’s inequity |
|
|
4.1.
|
Basic
indicators of stratification status |
102 |
|
4.2.
|
Classification
of social categories, groups and strata |
112 |
| |
|
|
| Part
Third |
EMERGING
OF THE MIDDLE CLASS DISCOURSE
IN
POST-COMMUNIST TRANSFORMATION |
|
|
1.
|
Why
questions of the middle classes have become pertinent right after 1989? |
130 |
|
2.
|
The
middle class or the middle classes? |
138 |
|
3.
|
Is
the middle class consistent with Marxism?
(Or:
‘Beyond’ Marx within Marx?) |
|
|
3.1.
|
Dichotomy
and ‘trichlenka’: there is no place for the middle classes |
139 |
|
3.2.
|
Class-conflictual
and stratal interpretation |
147 |
|
3.3.
|
New
expression of the old dichotomy today |
155 |
|
4.
|
Is
it possible to have a post-communist middle class?
(Ideologization
from the left and the right) |
157 |
| |
|
|
| Part
Fourth |
THE
MIDDLE CLASS AND THE MIDDLE STRATA:
NATURE
AND PRINCIPAL DISTINCTIONS |
|
|
1.
|
Genesis
of the middle class and of the research interests |
163 |
|
2.
|
Definition
of the middle class |
|
|
2.1.
|
Core
of the concept |
177 |
|
2.2.
|
‘The
middleness’of the middle class |
182 |
|
2.3.
|
The
arranged multidimensionality:
to
be in the middle class it is not sufficient to be wealthy |
184 |
|
2.4.
|
Neighbors-groups’
borders: the ‘middle’and the ‘intermediate’ |
195 |
|
2.5.
|
Enterprising,
initiative and rational social-group actor |
199 |
|
2.6.
|
Own
recourse – own work, autonomy |
205 |
|
2.7.
|
Subject
of collective behavior |
208 |
|
3.
|
Group
composition: ‘who is included’ the middle class? |
|
|
3.1.
|
Quantitative
criteria |
212 |
|
3.2.
|
‘Upper-middle’-‘lower-middle’,
‘old-middle’-‘new-middle’ |
216 |
|
3.3.
|
‘Service
class’ (Karl Renner-Ralf Dahrendorf-John Golthorpe) |
223 |
|
3.4.
|
The
three middle-class ‘assets’ (J.Roemer-Eric O.Wright-Make Savage) |
233 |
|
3.5.
|
Similarity
of the East-European interpretation |
237 |
|
4.
|
Heterogeneity
and fragmentation of the middle class |
|
|
4.1.
|
Middle
classes
or middle strata? |
241 |
|
4.2.
|
The
middle-class synthesis |
247 |
|
4.3.
|
The
‘death of class’ postponed |
251 |
| |
|
|
| Part
Fifth |
RESEMBLANCE
BETWEEN MIDDLE STRATA
FROM
DIFFERENT CONTEMPORARY REGIONS |
|
|
1.
|
Are
there middle classes in underdeveloped countries?
(Commentary
on Hagen Koo) |
|
|
1.1.
|
Increase
of the share of those occupied with nonmanual labor |
266 |
|
1.2.
|
‘The
discontinuity of historical development’ and the leading role of the state
for the creation of a middle class |
268 |
|
1.3.
|
Shifting
of class borders and the controversial social identity |
274 |
|
2.
|
Preference
to be in the middle class |
|
|
2.1.
|
Why
do most people identify themselves with the middle strata? |
278 |
|
2.2.
|
Factors
for the increasing reference towards the ‘middle class’ |
287 |
|
3.
|
The
middle strata in the figures of stratification |
|
|
3.1.
|
Tom
Smith’s ‘scalometer’ |
293 |
|
3.2.
|
Jonathan
Kelley’s ‘pictorial approach to class’ |
300 |
|
4.
|
The
middle class in the context of the contemporary social-group differentiation
and convergence |
|
|
4.1.
|
Essence
of social convergence |
308 |
|
4.2.
|
Prerequisites
for group convergence |
319 |
|
4.3.
|
Distant
similarities |
323 |
|
4.4.
|
The
middle strata as ‘social twins’ |
328 |
| |
|
|
| Part
Sixth |
‘NOMINAL
MIDDLE CLASS’ AS A POST-COMMUNIST STRATIFICATIONAL PHENOMENON |
|
|
1.
|
Stratified
pessimism: the ‘looking-back person’ |
|
|
1.1.
|
The
crisis of the post-communist transition |
333 |
|
1.2.
|
Interiorized
inequality as a basis for political action |
343 |
|
1.3.
|
Transformation
of subjective social inequality: the ‘Bulgarian exceptionalism’ in utter
dissatisfaction |
349 |
|
2.
|
Middle
strata in the Bulgarian context |
|
|
2.1.
|
Who
are the middle within the social strata? |
358 |
|
2.2.
|
Registered
middle strata in the country and the capital and consensus-classification
of the groups |
369 |
|
3.
|
Formation
of a common image of the middle strata |
|
|
3.1.
|
Group
differentiation of attitudes and strategies |
376 |
|
3.2.
|
Two
cultural models: latent inter-group conflict |
386 |
|
4.
|
‘Nominal’
and ‘shy’ middle class |
396 |
| |
|
|
| Part
Seventh |
THE
MIDDLE STRATA MAN:
SOCIAL-ANTHROPOLOGICAL
PORTRAITS |
|
|
1.
|
Outlines
of the social portrait of the middle strata man |
|
|
1.1.
|
“Sociological
imagination”: is a portraiture possible? |
404 |
|
1.2.
|
Distinct
features of the middle strata people |
408 |
|
2.
|
The
‘middle ones’ in the old and new stratification of a Bulgarian village |
413 |
|
2.1.
|
First
steps of the successful small entrepreneurs |
421 |
|
2.2.
|
The
intermediate case or being ‘one-legged’ in business |
429 |
|
2.3.
|
Self-employed
person: potential of the ‘lower-middle class’ |
432 |
|
2.4.
|
The
unsuccessful in business |
434 |
|
3.
|
Sasho
the ‘Herb-dealer’ or the optimistic theory of small businesses |
|
|
3.1.
|
The
personage and his business strategy |
437 |
|
3.2.
|
‘Natural
sociology’ in explanation of inequality |
440 |
|
3.3.
|
The
finding with “the ethnic” business |
442 |
|
3.4.
|
Cultural
values of the entrepreneur |
444 |
|
4.
|
The
local administrators in two peripheral municipalities |
|
|
4.1.
|
Resource
of competence |
447 |
|
4.2.
|
Administrative
service-men in the peripheral context |
455 |
|
4.3.
|
The
insecure privileged municipal state official |
459 |
|
4.4.
|
The
administrator – between service and party loyalty |
466 |
| |
|
|
| Conclusion: |
Self-estimation
of the achievements in the book |
473 |
|
|
|
| Bibliography |
|
479 |
| Contents
in English |
|
489 |