Sociology 2259 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Group Conflict, Antonio Gramsci, Proletariat

• School: Western University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: Sociology 2259
• Professor: Ashby

Document Summary

Chapter 3: explaining deviance the perception, reaction and power (pg. Conflict theories: rules serve the interests of the powerful. They presume that social rules do not emerge out of consenses but rather out of conflict and serve the interests of the most influencial groups in society. They suggest that members of powerful groups are less likely to break the rules because the rules were created to serve their interests in the first place. Conflict theories propose that members of less powerful groups are more likely to act in ways that violate social rules. All conflict theories integrate propositions about the structures of societal inequality with views about the ideologies that are used to maintain the status quo and reproduce the existing structures of inequality. Origins of conflict theory are attributed to karl marx: small group of powerful people at the top and a large group of powerless people at the bottom.