A Critical Evaluation of Warner's Work in Community Stratification

APPROXIMATELY two decades ago W. L. Warner and his associates went into Yankee City to apply the methods of social anthropology to the study of a modern community. In the interim, numerous researches of the Warner school have been reported. With the recent appearance of Social Class in America,' which purports to clarify the research operations and theoretical position of the group, along with a substantive volume2 concerning the latest town studied in this tradition, a re-examination of the Warner group's objectives, methods and results is in order. Previous articles and reviews have evaluated specific researches of this prolific school.3 This paper raises questions about the endeavor as a whole, particularly the treatment of social stratification, which has been the central problem in all of the studies. The first question we wish to raise is that of the relevance of the work of Warner and his associates to the objectives they have set themselves. Second, we wish to consider the reliability, validity, and pertinence of their methodological operations. And finally, we