Resumo

LACHMANN, Richard. Toward a Sociology of Wealth: definitions and historical comparisons. Sociologia [online]. 2013, vol.26, pp.11-36. ISSN 0872-3419.

What does it means to be wealthy? Do possessors of significant wealth act in distinct ways that justify considering them a class, an elite or a status group? I explore the implications of various definitions of the wealthy. I review available data for a range of historical societies and then examine if the 1990’s explosion of wealth in the United States created a society with a larger stratum of the wealthy than in previous societies. I conclude by identifying a future research agenda that seeks to relate the relative and changing proportions of the wealthy in various societies to other, often non- quantitative evidence of shared occupational and leisure pursuits, family forms and political action.

Palavras-chave : Wealth; Class; Stratification; Status.

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