AN100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Social Stratification, Conflict Theories, White Privilege
AN100 - Lecture 10 - Social Hierarchies
Social stratification
- Refers to a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy
- Inequality
Anthropology identifies 3 types of societies
- Egalitarian
- Ranked
- Stratified
Egalitarian societies (equal)
- Limit to age and sex division
- Status and prestige exists but …
- No individual has greater right to wealth or privilege
- Reciprocate and sharing are the norm
- In built mechanisms to prevent inequality
Ranked societies
- Age, sex, formal leaders
- Unequal access to prestige or status (chiefs) but no unequal access to wealth or
privilege
- Redistribution of wealth - generosity defines one’s position
Social stratification
- Organization of society into social divisions
- Morton Field (1967) defined stratified societies as: one in which members of the
same sex or equivalent age do not have equal access to basic resources that
sustain human life
Social Stratification and accompanying inequalities are neither inevitable nor universal
- More complex and populous (large)
- The society is more unequal
Theories of stratification
- Functionalists - inequality is necessary to maintain complex societies
- Incentives (rewards) based on merit, ability, qualification (ex mayor vs janitor)
- Conflict theory - social division exists to maintain positions and privilege for some
- Leads to conflict between classes (ex ceo or a company)
Social stratification / social hierarchy
- Race
- Class
- Caste
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Refers to a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy. No individual has greater right to wealth or privilege. Unequal access to prestige or status (chiefs) but no unequal access to wealth or privilege. Redistribution of wealth - generosity defines one"s position. Morton field (1967) defined stratified societies as: one in which members of the same sex or equivalent age do not have equal access to basic resources that sustain human life. Social stratification and accompanying inequalities are neither inevitable nor universal. Functionalists - inequality is necessary to maintain complex societies. Incentives (rewards) based on merit, ability, qualification (ex mayor vs janitor) Conflict theory - social division exists to maintain positions and privilege for some. Leads to conflict between classes (ex ceo or a company) One status (position) based on ascription or achievement. Rooted as if in biology or nature. Peggy mcintosh says racism functioned to maintain white privilege (pg 195)
