Editing Bourgeoisie (section)

==Bourgeois culture==

===Cultural hegemony===
Karl Marx said that the culture of a society is dominated by the [[Cultural hegemony|mores of the ruling-class]], wherein their superimposed [[value system]] is abided by each social class (the upper, the middle, the lower) regardless of the socio-economic results it yields to them. In that sense, contemporary societies are bourgeois to the degree that they practice the [[mores]] of the small-business "shop culture" of early modern France; which the writer [[Émile Zola]] (1840–1902) [[Naturalism (literature)|naturalistically]] presented, analyzed, and ridiculed in the twenty-two-novel series (1871–1893) about ''[[Les Rougon-Macquart]]'' family; the thematic thrust is the necessity for social progress, by subordinating the economic sphere to the social sphere of life.<ref>Émile Zola, ''Le Rougon-Macquart'' (1871–1893).</ref>

===Conspicuous consumption===
[[File:Żywiecki strój mieszczański 01.jpg|thumb|Clothing worn by ladies belonging to the bourgeoisie of [[Żywiec]], Poland, 19th century (collection of the Żywiec City Museum)]]

The critical analyses of the bourgeois mentality by the German intellectual [[Walter Benjamin]] (1892–1940) indicated that the shop culture of the [[petite bourgeoisie]] established the sitting room as the center of personal and family life; as such, the English bourgeois culture is, he alleges, a sitting-room culture of [[social class|prestige]] through [[conspicuous consumption]]. The [[Consumerism|material culture]] of the bourgeoisie concentrated on mass-produced [[luxury goods]] of high quality; between generations, the only variance was the materials with which the goods were manufactured.

In the early part of the 19th century, the bourgeois house contained a home that first was stocked and decorated with hand-painted [[porcelain]], machine-printed cotton fabrics, machine-printed [[wallpaper]], and Sheffield steel ([[crucible steel|crucible]] and [[stainless steel|stainless]]). The [[utility]] of these things was inherent in their practical functions. By the latter part of the 19th century, the bourgeois house contained a home that had been remodeled by conspicuous consumption. Here, Benjamin argues, the goods were bought to display wealth ([[discretionary income]]), rather than for their practical utility. The bourgeoisie had transposed the wares of the shop window to the sitting room, where the clutter of display signaled bourgeois success<ref name="Benjamin">[[Walter Benjamin]], ''The Halles Project''.</ref> (see ''[[Culture and Anarchy]]'', 1869).

Two spatial constructs manifest the bourgeois mentality: (i) the shop-window display, and (ii) the sitting room. In English, the term "sitting-room culture" is synonymous for "bourgeois mentality", a "[[Philistinism|philistine]]" cultural perspective from the [[Victorian Era]] (1837–1901), especially characterized by the repression of emotion and of sexual desire; and by the construction of a regulated social-space where "[[Victorian morality|propriety]]" is the key personality trait desired in men and women.<ref name="Benjamin" />

Nonetheless, from such a psychologically constricted [[worldview]], regarding the rearing of children, contemporary sociologists claim to have identified "progressive" middle-class values, such as respect for non-conformity, self-direction, [[autonomy]], [[gender equality]], and the encouragement of innovation; as in the Victorian Era, the transposition to the US of the bourgeois system of social values has been identified as a requisite for employment success in the professions.<ref name="The American Class Structure">{{cite book |last=Gilbert |first=Dennis |year=1998 |title=The American Class Structure |publisher=Wadsworth Publishing |location=New York |id=0-534-50520-1}}</ref><ref name="Marriages, Families & Intimate Relationships">{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Brian |first2=Stacey C. |last2=Sawyer |first3=Carl M. |last3=Wahlstrom |year=2005 |title=Marriages, Families & Intimate Relationships |publisher=Pearson |location=Boston, MA |id=0-205-36674-0}}</ref> [[File:Le-bourgeois-gentilhomme.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The prototypical bourgeois, Monsieur Jourdain, the protagonist in [[Molière]]'s play {{lang|fr|[[Le Bourgeois gentilhomme]]}} (1670)]]

Bourgeois values are dependent on [[rationalism]], which began with the economic sphere and moves into every sphere of life which is formulated by Max Weber.<ref name="General economic history">{{cite book |last=Weber |first=Max |author-link=Max Weber |year=1927 |title=General economic history |publisher=[[Allen & Unwin]] |location=UK: London |id=1306359007}}</ref> The beginning of rationalism is commonly called the [[Age of Enlightenment|Age of Reason]]. Much like the Marxist critics of that period, Weber was concerned with the growing ability of large corporations and nations to increase their power and reach throughout the world.