A classless society would represent a social order with no economic base. Many doubt that a modern society that is classless can exist, as the failed experiment of the Soviets with communism demonstrates-not that social inequality between individuals ever ceased to exist in the former Soviet Union. Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim both wrote about the stratification of society into classes. Marx argues that the economic base of society has enormous impact on the shape of all aspects of culture and social structure. This includes race, gender, law, religion, education, and government. While Marx and Durkheim both deal with division of labor, they view it as resulting in different outcomes. Durkheim felt the inequalities of division of labor could be overcome its inherent conflicts through increased social consensus of norms. Marx felt it was through struggle only that these inequalities of class stratification could be righted. Still, both Marx and Durkheim felt that class stratification reinforced the status quo and exerted enormous influence on beliefs regarding race and gender. This analysis will compare and contrast the views of Marx and Durkheim with respect to class, race, and gender.
There are comparisons and contrasts we can make between Marx and Durkheim on a broad level. For example, Durkheim’s theories are more those of idealism, arguing social norms constitute society, than are those of Marx’s materialism that argues structures constitute society. Further, both Marx and Durkheim take a holistic as opposed to an individualistic view of society. Even while they do agree to view society from a holistic approach, they contrast in that Marx viewed society as a struggle between groups, “The key to history, Marx believed, is class conflict-the bitter struggle between those who own the means of producing wealth and those who do not” (Robertson 1987: 14). In contrast, Durkheim felt society consisted of dividing ...