Petit bourgeois - Definition and Overview

Petit-bourgeois or Anglicised petty bourgeois is a French term that reffered to the members of the lower middle social-classes. They were seen as servants of the bourgeois class who in turn were seen as servants of the aristocracy. In the context of a perceived oppressive system, the bourgeoisie denoted a label of someone in collaboration with the ruling aristocracy's lieutenants.

The term was used by Karl Marx and Marxist theorists to refer to a class of people that would include shop-keepers and professionals. This class is distinct from the proletariat, who rely entirely on the sale of their labor-power for survival, and the haute bourgeoisie, or capitalist class, who own the means of production and buy the labor-power of others to work it. In contrast, although the petty bourgeois do buy the labor power of others, they typically work alongside their own employees; although they generally own their own businesses, they do not own a controlling share of the means of production.

The subject has recently been popularised by the motion picture American Beauty, by Hollywood director Sam Mendes, describing life in American suburbia.

See also

• Bourgeoisie