The “Meta-problem” of the Middle Class

[Abstract] This paper tries to explore， in the perspective of class theory， the “meta-problem” of the new middle class： how the middle class became an issue in the first place and why it should be dealt with by the social sciences. The authors argue that the middle class does not refer to an income group， but a completely new class emerging out of the traditional class structure. Researchers were focused on its social-political functions when it was appearing on the scene， and the class theory has also undergone major changes accordingly.