There are a number of
social classes of Zaire that constitute the society of the country. The Democratic Republic of Congo gained independence in the year 1960 and since then the society has been increasingly becoming stratified and polarized. One of the simplest ways to know how this process took place and how the social profile of the country has changed is by differentiating among the various classes that have evolved during till date.
Michael G. Schatzberg's view can be of great help in this regard as he has made extensive study on this topic. His notion of class is a helpful tool in conceptualizing these changes. He is against the view of a rigid conception of class that distinguishes any individual as the proletariat or the bourgeoisie.
Michael G. Schatzberg considers that class identity is based on situations and a person may belong to a certain class in one situation and a member of another class in a different circumstance. This concept of class was adopted by Crawford Young and Thomas Turner and they constructed models of Zairian stratification expanded by Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, Jean Rymenam, and others. According to them the various social classes of the Democratic Republic of Congo are as follows:
- Zairian Social Classes
- The Informal Sector
- The Politico-Commercial Class
- The Subbourgeoisie
- The Working Class
- Other High-Status Groups
- Peasants
- The External Estate
- The New Commercial Class
