An enigma in the research on the bourgeoisie is the lack of definition. Fieldwork as done by the two authors in Paris provides ample evidence of a specific social group answering to the popular acknowledgement of the word. The non-definition of the bourgeoisie is an intrinsic attribute of its structure, tied to change, and of its ideology, burdened with a derogatory term. The bourgeoisie should not be enclosed by boundaries contrary to its essence. Its existence cannot be denied and it can be reached by appropriate ethnological description and analysis.