SOC 2700 Chapter Notes - Chapter 9: Living Time, Lewis A. Coser, Conflict Theories

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 2700
• Professor: Stephanie Howells

Document Summary

Conflict theories focus on the political nature of crime and examine the creation and application of criminal law: similar to labelling theories. Conflict theories share one fundamental assumption: societies are more appropriately characterized by conflict rather than by consensus: allows several varieties of conflict theory to be viewed as if they were on a continuum. See consensus as a temporary state of affairs that either will return to conflict or will have to be maintained at great expense. It is the use of power to create and maintain an image of consensus, then, that represents the problem to be studied. After a period of optimism in the late 50"s and early 60"s, many people in the us became disenchanted with their society. The success of civil rights movements gave incentive to other powerless groups, such as women and homosexuals, who marched for recognition and for equality in social opportunities.