This session will provide a general overview of class theory, from its classical formulations up to its more recent versions. The session will be organised around core themes, rather than focusing on individual theorists or schools: 

1. Classical theory of class and social inequality, and the differentiation of the class structure
2. Intersections of class, gender, and ethnicity
3. Class and social mobility: Theory vs. empirical trends in light of meritocratic ideals
4. Class vs elites in light of power and social inequality (day 2)

Each section will be presented as a 45-minute lecture, aiming to provide the context for the problem and then examine the various ways theorists of class address it.

The first section focuses on the theorization of class as a constitutive social division in modern societies. This part also deals with problems for classical theories of class because they involved the emergence of what was called “new middle classes"—groups of experts, leaders, and welfare professionals that seem to be neither capitalists nor traditional workers.

The second section tackles an issue that is almost as old as class theory but seems to attract increasing attention: the interconnection of social class with other forms of inequality, notably "race/ethnicity" and gender. This session will discuss different ways theories of class address this complex issue.

The third session deals with class and social mobility, and the gap between what we may observe empirically and meritocratic norms favouring an open society.

The fourth section (day 2) explores the intersection of class and elites, focusing on how we approach power and inequality in contemporary Western societies.
 

The sociology of elites has typically focused on the problem of recruitment, reproduction, and circulation within and between elite positions, i.e., the most powerful positions within a given society. Drawing on recent and ongoing research in multiple European countries, Day 2 will address these questions through a series of lectures on the relations between 

• elites and social classes, 
• stability and change in the field power, 
• symbolic boundaries and power resources, 
• professional identities in the administrative elite and 
• the relations between field positions, practices and political position takings. 

Particular attention will be given to theoretical and methodological challenges involved when constructing these research objects.      

The Day 3 session will cover a wider range of topics related to meritocracy at the intersection of education and equity, including discussions of theory and issues in different discourses of merit as both a norm and a myth. The session offers an overview and insights from recent empirical research on inequality in politics, education, and childhood. 

Each session will include time at the end for participants to comment on topics of general interest.

Håkon Leiulfsrud, Professor of Sociology, NTNU – Trondheim. Leiulfsrud´s research has focused on social theory and topics on comparative class, welfare and inequality research including work and industrial relations, family and more recently explorations on durable inequalities in childhood and education.

Johs Hjellbrekke, Professor of Sociology, University of Bergen. Hjellbrekke’s research has focused on elites, classes, and social mobility. 

Jan Fredrik Hovden, Professor of Sociology, University of Bergen (UiB). Hovden´s research has focused on work, class, education, culture and democracy.

Marianne Nordli Hansen, (UiO), Professor of Sociology, University of Oslo. Nordli Hansen´s research has focused on different types of social inequality, including social class, education, income & wealth, and social segregation.

David J. Harding, Professor & Head of of Sociology, University of California – Berkeley. Harding studies poverty and inequality, urban neighbourhoods, education, generations, and criminal sociology.

Yann Hascoët Manager/résponsable administrative Centre Universitaire de Norvège à Paris, CUNP FONDATION MAISON DES SCIENCES DE L'HOMME.

Francois Denord, directeur d’études, CESSP/EHESS, Paris. Denord is an expert on the sociology of elites, of social classes and of neoliberalism. 

Paul Lagneau-Ymonet, maître de conferences, Univ. Paris Dauphine. Lagneau-Ymonet is an expert on economic sociology, the sociology of elites and classes. 

Marte Mangset, Director of the Norwegian University Center in Paris. Mangset studies the relationship between knowledge and power and has written extensively on social elites.

Harri Melin, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of Tampere. Melin studies class, sociology of work, labour unions, and, more recently, inequality in school and childhood.

Mike Savage (FBA), Professor of Sociology, London School of Economics. Savage studies a broad range of topics related to social class, power, and inequality.

Lisa Sølvberg, postdoctoral scholar, University of Bergen. Sølvberg has studied the class aspects of recruitment processes in elite firms, and is an expert on elites, social class, and social inequality 

Sylvain Thine, associated member of CESSP-CSE, EHESS, Paris. Thine is an expert on the sociology of elites and on quantitative analysis. 

Class Theory: Challenges and Promises

09.45: All participants meet in the reception at Fondation Maison des Sciences del´homme, before we walk to the Salle B-01)

10.00-10.30: Welcome

10.30-11.15: Classical theory of class and contemporary discussions. Prof. Harri Melin, Tampere University.

11.15-11.30: Coffee break

11.15-12.00: Intersections class, gender, ethnicity. Professor Jan Fredrik Hovden, University of Bergen

12.15-13.45: Lunch

13.45-14.30: Class and social mobility. Professor David Harding, University of California-Berkeley 

14.30-14.45: Coffee break

14.45-15.30: Open (lecture or paper session) TBA

15.30-15.45: Coffee break

15.45-17.30/17.45: Paper session 

Social Elites – New and Old 

10.00-11.00: Social Elites: The intersection of class and elites: focusing on power and inequality in contemporary Western societies. Professor. Mike Savage, London School of Economics).

11.00-11.15: Coffee break.

11.15-12.15: The Field of Power in France. Directeur d’études Francois Denord, EHESS, maître de conferences Paul Lagneau Ymonet, EHESS, membre associé Sylvain Thine, EHESS. 

12.15-13.45: Lunch. 

13.45-14.45: Administrative elites in Europe: Scholastic legitimacy and concentration of power. Director at CUNP, Marte Mangset.

14.45-15.00: Coffee break.

15.00-16.00: Social Class and the Recruitment to Elite Firms. Postdoctoral scholar, Lisa Sølvberg, UiB. 

16.00-16.15: Coffee break. 

16.15-17.45: Paper session 

Meritocracy as a Hegemonic Social Norm – Theory vs. Practice

10.00-10.30: Classical theory of meritocracy and contemporary discussion. Professor Marianne Nordli Hansen, University of Oslo

10.30-11.00: Meritocracy in France. TBA

11.00-11.15: Coffee break.

11.15-12.15: Challenges to meritocracy: schooling, criminal justice and race/ethnicity in the US. Professor David Harding. University of California-Berkeley.

12.15-13.45: Lunch

13.45-14.30: Durable inequalities in Nordic education and childhood. Professor Håkon Leiulfsrud, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

14.30.-14.45: Coffee break

14.45-15.30: Open session

15.30-16.30: Discussion and conclusion

10.00-12.00: Seminar based on student papers

12.00-13.00: Lunch

13.00-16.00: Seminar based on student papers

16.00-16.30: Course evaluation