# 5.1 Conceptions of class in Wales

When we talk about class we are placing ourselves in relation to others in society. All our individual cases are complex and none of us are identical. But we usually have some idea of where we fit in and some sense of the overall shape of our society: its class structure. So how does the idea of class help us to understand Wales? What is the overall shape of Welsh society?

## Activity 11

What do you think of when you think about class in Wales?

- Wales is a place where people engage in militant class conflict; class means the picket line, solidarity.
- Wales – unlike England – is classless.
- Wales is run by the English upper class – white settlers – who take all the best jobs.
- Wales is run by a Welsh-speaking middle class: the Taffia.

I want to discuss each of these responses in turn to see what, if any, truth there is in them.

OpenLearn - Contemporary Wales
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