class consciousness

noun

1. awareness of one's own social or economic rank in society.
2. a feeling of identification and solidarity with those belonging to the same social or economic class as oneself.

class consciousness

1. Identification with other members of one's own class and awareness of its relationship with other classes. According to Marxist theory , the proletariat (see also proletariat ) will assume class consciousness when workers realize that they are being exploited by the bourgeoisie ; then a proletarian revolution will be inevitable. Contrary to this theory, however, the American working class is primarily socially conservative .

Other Words From

• class-con·scious [klas, -, kon, -sh, uh, s, klahs, -], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of class consciousness¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

So you can see that it still makes a difference, and class consciousness does still exist!

From The Daily Beast

He held himself slightly aloof with the class consciousness of the West Pointer.

From Project Gutenberg

President Roosevelt has assailed the preachers of class consciousness with all the energy of a confirmed moralizer.

From Project Gutenberg

Having failed to stir a class consciousness, they fell back upon the trade or group consciousness of identical interests.

From Project Gutenberg

The only encouraging feature in the increasingly sharp feeling of class consciousness among critics is a growing frankness.

From Project Gutenberg

Class consciousness has become so acute that it extends even beyond the realms of literature and drama into the field of sports.

From Project Gutenberg