SOC216H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Bourgeoisie, Circular Reasoning, Buda
Document Summary
Objectives of the lecture: understand theories of law and society: Critical approaches: critical legal theory, feminist legal theory, critical race theory: discuss researching law from a sociolegal perspective. Consensus (e. g. durkheim, parsons) : general consensus in society. Society is stable and harmonious: general equality. Law is one od the insitutuions that help create an integration and harmony. People are held together with a similar consensus general character of society. Society characterized by conflict and dissension: groups are unequal. Law an instrument of repression by ruling class. Will always be conflict between groups due to the inequality between groups. Marx saw law as a tool of oppression used by the higher/ruling class on the lower class. Functionalism (durkheim: a consensus theory assumes existence of consensus on dominant norms and values. Function versus dysfunction a result of gap between ability and needs. Takes official story of law as a given - law expresses the norms and values of the majority.
