The term professional–managerial class (PMC) refers to a

social class A social class is a grouping of people into a set of Dominance hierarchy, hierarchical social categories, the most common being the Upper class, upper, Middle class, middle and Working class, lower classes. Membership in a social class can for ...

within

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for Profit (economics), profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, pric ...

that, by controlling production processes through occupying a superior

management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

position, is neither

proletarian The proletariat (; ) is the social class of wage-earners, those members of a society whose only possession of significant economic value is their labour power (their capacity to work). A member of such a class is a proletarian. Marxist philoso ...

nor

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

. Conceived as "The New Class" by social scientists and critics such as

Daniel Patrick Moynihan Daniel Patrick Moynihan (March 16, 1927 – March 26, 2003) was an American politician, diplomat and sociologist. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented New York in the United States Senate from 1977 until 2001 and served as an ...

in the 1970s, this group of

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Commo ...

professionals is distinguished from other social classes by their training and education, typically business qualifications and university degrees, with occupations thought to offer influence on society that would otherwise be available only to capital owners. The professional–managerial class tends to have incomes above the average for their country, with major exceptions being academia and print journalism. The term was coined in 1977 by

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

and

Barbara Ehrenreich Barbara Ehrenreich (, ; ; August 26, 1941 – September 1, 2022) was an American author and political activist. During the 1980s and early 1990s, she was a prominent figure in the Democratic Socialists of America. She was a widely read and awar ...

. The term became widely used in American political discourse in the late 2010s as a shorthand to refer to

technocratic Technocracy is a form of government in which the decision-maker or makers are selected based on their expertise in a given area of responsibility, particularly with regard to scientific or technical knowledge. This system explicitly contrasts wi ...

liberals or wealthy Democratic voters.

Catherine Liu Catherine Liu (born 1964) is an American cultural theorist and author whose areas of research include Sinophone cinema, French literature, critical theory, identity politics, and visual arts. She is known for her critique of the professional–ma ...

, in ''Virtue Hoarders'' (2021), characterized the PMC as white-collar

left liberals The Left Liberals (french: Libéraux de gauche) were a political party in Luxembourg. History The party was formed as a result of a split in the Liberal League by the 'old Liberals' including Robert Brasseur and Norbert Le Gallais; the other f ...

afflicted with a

superiority complex Superiority complex is a term coined by Alfred Adler in the early 1900s, as part of his school of individual psychology. A superiority complex is a defense mechanism that develops over time to help a person cope with feelings of inferiority. Indiv ...

in relation to ordinary members of the working class.https://upress.umn.edu/press/press-clips/the-jacobin-show-the-professional–managerial-class-w-catherine-liu

Hans Magnus Enzensberger Hans Magnus Enzensberger (11 November 1929 – 24 November 2022) was a German author, poet, translator, and editor. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Andreas Thalmayr, Elisabeth Ambras, Linda Quilt and Giorgio Pellizzi. Enzensberger was regarde ...

had also observed the "characterless

opportunism Opportunism is the practice of taking advantage of circumstances – with little regard for principles or with what the consequences are for others. Opportunist actions are expedient actions guided primarily by self-interested motives. The term ...

" of its members, in reference to its constant shifting of allegiances, not only between the leisured and working classes but also among themselves. It is estimated that in the 1930s United States people in professional–managerial class occupations made up less than 1 percent of total employment. In 1972, about 24 percent of American jobs were in professional–managerial class occupations. By 1983 the number had risen to 28 percent and in 2006, 35 percent.

James Burnham James Burnham (November 22, 1905 – July 28, 1987) was an American philosopher and political theorist. He chaired the New York University Department of Philosophy; his first book was ''An Introduction to Philosophical Analysis'' (1931). Burn ...

had proposed the existence of a similar class in his 1941 book, ''

The Managerial Revolution James Burnham (November 22, 1905 – July 28, 1987) was an American philosopher and political theorist. He chaired the New York University Department of Philosophy; his first book was ''An Introduction to Philosophical Analysis'' (1931). Burn ...

'', arguing that they had become the new ruling class. The PMC hypothesis contributed to the

Marxist Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...

debates on class in

Fordism Fordism is a manufacturing technology that serves as the basis of modern economic and social systems in industrialized, standardized mass production and mass consumption. The concept is named after Henry Ford. It is used in social, economic, and ...

and was used as an analytical category in the examination of non-proletarian employees. However,

orthodox Marxists Orthodox Marxism is the body of Marxist thought that emerged after the death of Karl Marx (1818–1883) and which became the official philosophy of the majority of the Socialism, socialist movement as represented in the Second International unt ...

consider the PMC hypothesis to be revisionism of the Marxist understanding of class.

Notes

External links

Professional–Managerial Chasm
at '' n+1 magazine''
On the Origins of the Professional–Managerial Class: An Interview with Barbara Ehrenreich at
at '' Dissent Magazine''
Radical America #11.02 featuring The professional–managerial class by Barbara and John Ehrenreich
{{DEFAULTSORT:Professional-managerial class Working-class culture Social concepts Professionalism

See also

Notes

External links