阶层与分层:中国社会成员构成研究中的两种分析逻辑

From Class Stratum to Class Hierarchies:Two Analytical Logic in Studying Chinese Social Members

社会成员构成是制约一个国家政治发展的社会基本面之一。在当代中国,社会成员构成主要表现为阶级阶层结构。正确分析这一重要的社会基本面,是准确认识中国政治与社会的关键。对于社会成员结构的研究,除传统的阶级分析以外,国内学界还明显分出阶层分析和分层分析两种不同的研究路向。总体上看,阶层分析,主要以马克思的阶级理论为基础,本质上是一个对阶级进行细化和补充的分析方法;分层分析,主要是以韦伯的阶级理论为依据,表现为对社会群体进行高低排列的方法。产生这种差别的原因,在于两种范式的理论逻辑差异;这种差别的具体表现是对社会阶层格局建构和对社会流动含义解读等方面的不同。但问题的复杂性在于,在一般的理论分析中,阶层分析与分层分析往往被学人们有意无意地混淆在一起。对日益复杂的中国社会成员结构进行分析,需要有一定的原则和取向作为研究共识,因此,深入、系统地分析一下阶层分析和分层分析的逻辑关系是十分必要的。

The composition of social members is one of the social fundamentals that restrict the political development of a country.In contemporary China,the composition of social members is mainly represented by the structure of class and stratum.A correct analysis of this important social fundamental is the key to an accurate understanding of Chinese politics and society.For the study of the structure of social members,in addition to the traditional class analysis,the domestic academic circles are obviously divided into two different research directions,such as stratum analysis and hierarchical analysis.Generally speaking,stratum analysis,mainly based on Marx’s class theory,is essentially a process of refinement and supplement of class,while hierarchical analysis is mainly based on Weber’s class theory.It is reflected in the process of ranking the social groups from the order of high class to the low class.The reason for this difference lies in the theoretical logic difference between the two paradigms;the concrete manifestation of this difference is the difference in the construction of social stratum pattern and the interpretation of the meaning of social mobility.But the complexity of the problem lies in that,stratum analysis and hierarchical analysis are often confused by scholars intentionally or unintentionally in the general theoretical analysis.To analyze the increasingly complex structure of members of Chinese society,it is necessary to have certain principles and orientations as the research consensus.Therefore,it is necessary to deeply and systematically analyze the logical relationship between stratum analysis and hierarchical analysis.