Now that you have this conceptual map, open your Miguel Requena PDF and look for:
Suggested citation (if you need to reference Requena’s broader work):
Requena, M. (various years). La estratificación social en España. Madrid: CIS/Siglo XXI. (Look for chapters on “Movilidad social” or “Desigualdad de oportunidades.”) estratificacion social miguel requena pdf better
Requena heavily leans on Max Weber. Unlike Marx, who saw class as purely economic (owners vs. workers), Weber introduced nuance. Requena explains that class is your market situation (skills, property), status is your social honor (prestige, lifestyle), and party is your political power. A PDF of Requena will likely show you a diagram of how these three are frequently misaligned (e.g., a corrupt politician may have power but low honor). Now that you have this conceptual map, open
Here is Requena’s most provocative argument: Meritocracy is not the opposite of stratification; it is its most sophisticated form. When a society believes that positions are allocated by merit (talent + effort), it legitimises extreme inequality. The rich are seen as deserving, the poor as lazy. Suggested citation (if you need to reference Requena’s
Requena uses longitudinal data to show that “merit” is itself a stratified variable. A child from a wealthy family has access to:
When they succeed, the system calls it “individual achievement.” When a poor child fails, it’s “lack of effort.” Requena’s work is a relentless deconstruction of this ideological alibi.