SOC 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 30: Dalit, Bourgeoisie, The Power Elite
Document Summary
Overlooked imp factors in stratif, what drives ineq. Marx, weber, and most sociologists analyzing stratification take a conflict perspective. Believe it allows some people to dominate others. Symbolic interactionists: pay less attention to it. See how position in stratification system shapes interactions. Functionalists: claim stratification is necessary for society to function properly. If people holding important positions weren"t paid more and given more power and status, they wouldn"t make the investments needed to hold the positions and wouldn"t work hard. Just like there are many different types of collective inequalities, there are many different bases of stratification. Following max weber"s ideal types, sociologists commonly recognize three main bases of stratification. Since marx, most scholars interested in stratification have focused on class. Marx: focused on inequality between workers and owners of capital. Believed classes were very influential: defined life chances, basis for social conflict and change. Class conflict: driving force behind human history.
