260-C1 - Theories to Social Inequality

Question 1

The Sociological Imagination

Answer 1

seeing others’ individual perspectives in the broader context of societal structures

Question 2

Functional Theory of Stratification

Answer 2

Inequality is a healthy, necessary feature of a stable society

BUT
fails to acknowledge inheritance and wealth

Question 3

Conflict Theory in the Context of Inequality

Answer 3

conflict between classes (structural levels based on the amount of power and wealth a group of people have) is inevitable and is a result of intrinsic inequality

Question 4

Feminism and inequality

Answer 4

gender inequalities are established in society as early as childhood

Question 5

Difference between Marx and Weber

Answer 5

1. two separate (bourgeoisie and proletariat) vs. the distribution of power
2. for Weber, larger “reserve army of labour”
3. for Weber, its no longer necessary to own a business to control the means of production

Question 6

What are the 4 Neo-Marxist approaches?

Answer 6

1. Critical theory
2. Wallerstein’s World System theory
3. Chomsky’s “Manufacturing of Consent”
4. Critical Race Theory

Question 7

Critical Theory

Answer 7

An analysis of politics and society, based in Marxian theory, that focuses on the historical and ideological forces that influence culture and human behaviour

Question 8

Wallerstein’s World System Theory

Answer 8

Core nations control the economy ∴ maintain control over peripheral nations’ resources and labour, keeping them in continuous poverty

Question 9

The Manufacturing of Consent

Answer 9

• chomsky
• Mass media (e.g. newspapers, social media) are powerful ideological institutions, that often reflect the prejudices and interest of te capitalist class

Question 10

Commodity Racism (who coined the term?)

Answer 10

McClintock (1995) stated that commodity racism appealed to people’s beliefs in racial superiority and inferiority to sell products

Question 11

Institutionalized Racism

Answer 11

Racism, even when it is not explicitly legitimized, is still structurally engrained.

Question 12

Bourdieu’s Three Types of Capital

Answer 12

1. Economic - wealth gap
2. Cultural - class boundaries
3. Social - relationships, connections

Question 13

Neo-liberalism

Answer 13

The deregulation of global markets, largely through the reduction of state power.

Question 14

Conflict Theory Criticisms of Neo-liberalism

Answer 14

• capitalism is fundamentally controlling of markets, populations, and governments
• neoliberalism is the economic face of modern capitalism
• globalization creates a larger marker and cheaper labour and resources

Question 15

Social Justice

Answer 15

The fair and just treatment of members of society

Question 16

The Gini Index

Answer 16

The statistical representation of income inequality between the rich and the poor, from O (equal) to 1 (unequal)

Question 17

Intersectionality vs. Interlocking Disadvantages

Answer 17

Intersectionality was specifically coined for the unique experience of being both Black and a woman.

Question 18

Standpoint Theory

Answer 18

Each individual experiences the world in a subjective way, largely rooted in his or her gender, race, class or other positions of disadvantage (social categories)

Question 19

Standpoint Theory

Answer 19

Each individual experiences the world in a subjective way, largely rooted in his or her gender, race, class or other positions of disadvantage (social categories)