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class consciousness

Definition of Class Consciousness

(noun) According to Karl Marx (1818–1883), workers’ recognition of membership in a class and their relationship to the means of production.

Example of Class Consciousness

  • Treating people in the service industry as less deserving of a living wage.

Class Consciousness Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: class con·scious·ness

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /klAs kAHn-shuh-snuhs/
  • British English – /klAHs kOn-shuh-snis/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /klæs ˈkɑnʃəsnəs/
  • British English – /klɑːs ˈkɒnʃəsnɪs/

Usage Note

  • Plural: class consciousnesses

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Additional Information

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Works Consulted

Andersen, Margaret L., and Howard Francis Taylor. 2011. Sociology: The Essentials. 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

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Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).

Cite the Definition of Class Consciousness

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “class consciousness.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 19, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/class-consciousness/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

class consciousness. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/class-consciousness/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “class consciousness.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/class-consciousness/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“class consciousness.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/class-consciousness/>.