SOCA01H3 Lecture : Stratification Lecture notes
Document Summary
Stratification: a way or process by which categories of people are ranked. In the past, people argued that inequality was controlled politically. (immobile) Today, in modern society people can move within statuses. (mobile: people make different incomes is due to a complex division of labour. This is significantly responsible for inequality: social differentiation, some are more highly differentiated than others. A lot of evidence between schooling and income levels: mosca an italian elite theorist says that inequality is inevitable. Mosca was called a cynic and a reactionary, because he spoke of self-interest and believed that complete equality will never be achieved: society cannot exist without politics because it coordinates activities, inequalities of power lead to self-interest. robert micheles a german elite theorist came up with the iron law of oligarchy idea. Explains that politics corrupts because people have more power, hence will try to enrich themselves with this power: self-interest.
