The classification of occupational information from historical records for use in comparative studies of stratification and mobility is discussed. SOCPO, which is a new scheme for coding such data based on an explicit conception of the economic sources of social power, is described. Its ability to predict class-linked characteristics is tested.

This article contends that class politics has receded in advanced capitalist societies during the last century, while cultural politics has increased, and it focuses on social and political institutions, rather than on occupational structure, to explain the shift. Participation in solidary groups is key to the social bases of politics, and the political salience of such groups is affected by social institutions that are independent of the occupational structure. Whereas indirect rule tends to promote class politics, direct rule favors cultural politics.

Cet article examine le processus de découverte des "classes moyennes" (les propriétaires de petites entreprises) par les catholiques sociaux et les leplaysiens belges et français entre 1880 et 1914. Il explore l'idéologie de "la moyenne" qui leur permit de présenter ce groupe comme une nouvelle base de la stabilité et de l'harmonie sociale. L'auteur s'interroge aussi sur les relations entre cette invention d'une "moyenne" idéalisée et de la formation d'une véritable identité au sein de la petite bourgeoisie.