SOC212H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Ralf Dahrendorf, Neutral Party, Conflict Theories
Lecture 4: Social Conflict and Feminist Theories
Conflict Theory
• Address the origins of rules or norms rather than the source of the behavior that violates established standards
• This view stresses the differentiation of groups in society and the distribution of power among these groups
• Individuals with social power create rules and norms that which the interest of that group
• This results in a collection of groups with competing interests in conflict with one another
• Deviance represents behavior that conflicts with the standards of segments of society with the power to shape
public opinion and social policy
• Crime is economic and social
• Connections between class, crime and control
• Society creates criminogenic environments
• Bias in the justice system
• Relationship between capitalism and crime
Bonger
Society
• Lower reflect the interests of the dominant class
• Capitalism and property
• Punishment
• Economic inequality
Dahrendorf
Unified conflict theory
• Social change and social conflict are everywhere
• Every element → disintegration and change
• Coercion
Vold
Politically oriented groups
• Defend their rights and protect their interests
• Laws created to hamper opposition groups
• criminality
Modern conflict theory
• 1960s, influenced by
- Self report studies, labeling theories, research on inequality and injustice, social and political upheavals
Power relations
• Conflict is rooted in the competition for power and wealth
• Power provides influence
• Those in power use law to criminalize those without power
Social reality of crime
• Quinney (1970)
- Crime is politically defined
- Interests of powerful
- Enforcement
- Behaviors is structured by class
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
- Stereotypes and the media
- Crime becomes a social reality
Norm resistance
• Turk (1969)
• Authority relationships produce conflict because groups have own norms
• Conflict will occur when
- Authorities and subjects are both committed to opposing cultural norms
- People with groups support will be resistant to authority or change
- Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of opponents helps avoid conflict with authorities
Critiques
• Powerful groups and social rules
- Conflict theories rely on an overly broad assumption that powerful groups dictate
◼ Laws contents, rule-making processes and enforcement
• Explanations of rules or behaviors
• Who benefits
• Law and the causes of behavior
Marxism
• Marx viewed capitalist society as a relationship between two groups of economic interest
- Bourgeoisie – soiet’s rulig lass
- Proletariat – the ruled members of society (workers whose labor power is exploited)
• State does NOT act as a neutral party. It mainly protects the ruling class against threats from the ruled masses
• Focuses on economic conditions under capitalism
• Society is the product of economic production
- Productive forces
- Productive relations
• Class is a power relationship
• There ust e soethig rotte i the er ore of a soial sste hih ireases i ealth ithout
diiishig its iser, ad ireases i rie ee ore tha its uers
Marxism and deviance
• Describe society not as a product of consensus about shared values but as the outcome of a continuing struggle
between social classes
• Definitions of deviance emerge from class conflict between powerful and less powerful groups
• Marx explained that:
- Laws prohibit certain acts that threaten the ruling class
- Laws legitiize iteretio soiet’s agets of soial otrol
- Criminal law tends to side with the upper classes against the lower classes
Marxist criminology
• Research should have a political and ideological basis
• Criminals are a product of society and economic system, not deviants
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Conflict theory: address the origins of rules or norms rather than the source of the behavior that violates established standards, this view stresses the differentiation of groups in society and the distribution of power among these groups. Lower reflect the interests of the dominant class: capitalism and property, punishment, economic inequality. Unified conflict theory: social change and social conflict are everywhere, every element disintegration and change, coercion. Politically oriented groups: defend their rights and protect their interests. Self report studies, labeling theories, research on inequality and injustice, social and political upheavals. Power relations: conflict is rooted in the competition for power and wealth, power provides influence, those in power use law to criminalize those without power. Norm resistance: turk (1969, authority relationships produce conflict because groups have own norms, conflict will occur when. Authorities and subjects are both committed to opposing cultural norms. People with groups support will be resistant to authority or change.
