Abstract
The article addresses the concepts of social exploitation, classes and class structure, highlighting the need to consider the different internal levels of this theoretical framework for the purpose of analyzing contemporary societies. This approach is based on a bibliographic review of the objections raised to class theory, as well as a resumption of seminal elements left by Karl Marx and later contributions by interpreters of Marxian texts, such as Eric Wright. From this standpoint, it is argued that social exploitation, from which a given class structure derives, is the starting point for a class theory that overcomes its apparent anachronism, its presumed economism and its supposed immanent link with a teleology of social transformation. The social classes approach, thus conceived and integrated with a theory on the formation of preferences and collective mobilization, constitutes a valuable tool for examining both social structure and social action.
Key words
exploitation; social classes; social structure; Marxism; Erik Wright