Class & Politics

Overview

This research strand builds on the investigation of the economic underpinnings of class oppositions and the social and cultural construction of class identities to put class at the centre of an account of the political dynamics and structures of Greek democracies.

We examine how class struggle shaped political institutions, ideological debates, and the distribution of power in the Greek city-states.

Civil Strife (Stasis)

Greek history is punctuated by episodes of civil conflict often framed in class terms. This strand investigates:

• The social composition of factions in civil conflicts
• How class interests manifested in political violence
• The resolution of stasis and its institutional consequences
• The discourse of civil conflict in ancient sources

Constitutional Arrangements

We explore how different constitutions favoured or disadvantaged particular classes:

• The relationship between constitutional forms and occupational structures
• Institutional mechanisms favouring the wealthy vs. the lower classes
• Pay for office and participation as class-political interventions
• Elite capture and popular control in democratic institutions

Redistribution

A key focus is the redistributive dimension of Greek democracy:

• Redistribution of wealth and resources
• Distribution of staples, including meat through festivals
• Redistribution of dignity and honours
• Access to public office as a redistributive mechanism

Political Ideology

We investigate the ideological dimensions of class politics:

• Elite attempts to disqualify the working classes from political participation
• Popular ideology and its philosophical critics (Plato, Aristotle)
• Democratic discourse and class consciousness
• The relationship between class and citizenship