SOCI201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Gini Coefficient, Economic Inequality, Pierre Bourdieu

• School: University of Delaware
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOCI201
• Professor: Kai Lin

Document Summary

Stratification: the ordering of groups/individuals based on the uneven distribution of economic or symbolic resources; hierarchically. Measures of economic resources: wealth and income. Income: the receipt of money or goods over a particular accounting period. Wealth: net value of assets owned (assets-debts) Caste system : determined by birth and fixed for life. Estate system : largely determined by ownership of land and birth. Class system : determined by wealth, income, education, occupation, etc. Right: claim to certain freedom and resources inherent in being a human/citizen. Power: the capacity to attain resources according to one"s will. Injustice: when rights are violated, or come into conflict. Critique of marx"s conflict theory : he oversimplified the complex class structure in modern society. Stratification is a necessary function of society. Everyone plays their part, which enables concerted functioning of the social organism (durkheim) Does not account for most atrocious inequality.