Weberian theory Flashcards
1
Q
what is Weberian theory?
A
- Weberian theories of social class inequality derive from the work of Weber (1864-1920)
- weber like Marx was a conflict theorist
- he saw inequalities in society as based on the struggle between different groups to secure resources such as wealth but argued that status and power were also resources that could be unequally distributed
- Weber was a leading critic of Marx
- he was sceptical as to whether a revolution resulting in the overthrow of capitalism would occur in western societies and suggested that communism might end up being just as oppressive as capitalism
2
Q
what is stratification?
A
- marxs view of capitalism emphasised economic divisions and the class struggle as the basis for stratification
- Weber (1948) however suggested that there were three dimensions to social stratification social class, status and party and in some societies economic or class divisions woul not necessariy be the most important
3
Q
what did weber say about social class?
A
- Weber defined social class as a group qho share a similar market situation
- by this he meant that members of a social class receive similar economic rewards
- members of a social class also share similar life chances
- Weber agreed with Marx that there was a basic economic division between the property owners and those who sold their labour for wages
- however, he also argued that there was a further division within each of these two groups
- for wxample owners of big businesses can potentially earn bigger profits than small businesses and so have better marlet situation
- similarly highly qualified white collar workers can sell their labour at a higher price than manual workers with fewer qualifications
4
Q
what are the social classes Weber suggested?
A
- the propertied upper class
- the property less white collar workers
- the petty bourgeoisie
- the manual working class
5
Q
what is the properties upper class?
A
-the wealthy owners of big businesses
6
Q
what is the property less white collar workers?
A
-these havbe a better market siituations than manual workers because of their skills and educational qualifications, and thus they form a middle class
7
Q
what is the petty bourgeoisie?
A
- owners of small businesses
- unlike Marx, Weber did not see this class as disappearing or merging into the working class
8
Q
what is the manual working class?
A
-this class has the poorest market situation as they possess neither wealth nor valuable educational qualifications that could be used to improve their market situation
9
Q
what did weber say about status?
A
- weber suggested that in some circumstances people wuith a common status situation may form a stronger group identity
- statis situation may form a stronger group identity
- status refers to the distribution of social honour i.e. in other words, how much respect a person received from others and wheather they are seen as superior or inferior to others
- status may be linked to a persons economic or class position but may also derive from other things such as their ethnicity, religion or lifestyle
- for example members of ethnic minorities may have a relatively low status because they face prejudice and discrimination even though they are wealthy in class terms
- on the other hand someone with a relatively low class position may achieve a high status because of their sporting achievements or through raising money for charity
10
Q
what did weber say about the importance of social class?
A
- weber argued that while social class may be relatively unimportant for many people as a source of identity, individuals are usually very aware of their status situation and tend to identify with others of a similar status
- for example in the case syetem found in the traditional Hindu society in India, individual are part of a herefitary caste from birth
- the highest caste enjoy their position not so much because of their wealth bit because they are regarded as purer in religious terms than in the lower castes
11
Q
what did weber say about the link between class and status?
A
- weber acknowledged that in capitalist societies class and status are closely linked as wealth and income are major sources of status
- however he pointed out that within social classes statius distincyions may be important
- for example in the 19th century british society there was a divide between the landed aristocracy and the nouveaux riched
-the nouveaux riches were often looked down on even though they might be incredibly wealthy
12
Q
what did weber say about party?
A
- weber defined parties as groups who were concerned with excercising power or influencing decision making
- in this sense, parties are much bbroader tyhan conventional political parties
- paries might include groups such as trades unions that seek to improve the wages and conditions of specific groups of workers o0r pressure groups such as greenpeace, the RSPCA or CND
- some parties are linked to class interests
- for example many trades unions represent groups wuthin the working class
- however pressure groups often draw their members from all social classes
- some parties may also represent specific status groups
- for example the pressure group Stonewall campaigns for the rights of lesbian, gay and bisexual people
13
Q
how is the fact that Webers theory is useful a strength of Marxism?
A
- Webers approach to stratification has been adopted by many sociologists as it allows them to create more complex and multi dimensional models of how society is stratified
- weber points out that people may come together and identify with others not just on the basis of economic interests but also because eof a shared status positon or shared political goals
- while such inequalities are often based on economic factors, it could be argued that they have much more to do with individuals social status
- moreover they may also be a basis for forming parties
- fpr example in the 1960s and 1970s the womens liberation movement tried to bring together women from all social backgrounds to fight for womens rights
14
Q
how do Marxists criticise Weberian theory?
A
- the main criticism of Webers approach comes from Marxists, who argue that focusing on multiple social classes and different dimensions of inequality obscures the fundamental importance of class divisions and capitalist sociaties
- Marxists argue that statis distinctions within the working class are often encouraged as a means of divide and rule by the ruling class and that the really important political struggles are linked to the class struggle and conflicts over economic interests
15
Q
what are the strengths of Weberian theory?
A
- the multi class model
- social mobility and life chances
- new social movement
