SOCI 201 Introduction to Sociology PDF

SOCI 201 Introduction to Sociology Dr. Gbenga Adejare Department of Sociology Faculty of Arts SOCIAL INEQUALITIES Introduction: Is Social Inequality Inevitable? Study of social inequality has long been a part of the sociological tradition Social inequality is the long-term ex...

SOCI 201 Introduction to Sociology Dr. Gbenga Adejare Department of Sociology Faculty of Arts SOCIAL INEQUALITIES Introduction: Is Social Inequality Inevitable? Study of social inequality has long been a part of the sociological tradition Social inequality is the long-term existence of significant differences in access to goods and services among social groups Social inequality is a function of many factors, including ethnicity, “race,” gender, class and stratification Progression of Human Society Auguste Comte’s Model According to Comte, human society have passed through the following three stages: 1. The Theological stage: Here people fetishize things and believe in deities 2. The Metaphysical stage: This stage is similar to the theological stage but different by the abstraction of belief in objective/concrete God 3. The Positive stage: Scientific thinking is preeminent 4 Progression of Human Society cont’d Growth and Development Both signify progress but are not necessarily the same Growth can occur without development, but development cannot occur without growth Growth is quantitative Development is qualitative 5 Progression of Human Society cont’d Adam Smith (1776) – Nature and Causes of Wealth Insatiability of human wants Utilization of resources (involving politics) Enhanced productivity Need to increase satisfaction 6  Progression of Human Society cont’d Thomas Hobbes (1588 – 1679) Astronomical population growth Defends materialism - the view that only material things are real Social Contract (political philosophy) 7 Source: Britannica Historical Trend… Modern historical trends started with the Industrial Revolution (1760-1850). This phase, in which England was at the forefront, witnessed: Departure from crude implements Mechanization Introduction of specialty crops, e., clover. Political Revolutions American Revolution (1775) French Revolution (1789) Technological Revolution (1880-) 8  The correlations between economic inequality and social facts How economic inequality harms societies, a TED Talk by Richard Wilkinson 9  Marx and Weber: Historical Approaches to the Study of Social Class The main term used to talk about social inequality is class, popularized by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (1888) Class is relational it reflects the relationship of people to what he called the means of production—the resources needed to produce goods The means of production are capital: The funds and properties necessary for large-scale manufacturing and trading.  Marx and Weber: Historical Approaches to the Study of Social Class, cont’d Marx identified two possible relationships to the means of production: the owner (aristocrats) and the workers (peasants) Bourgeoisie: collective of capitalists who own the means of production Proletariat: are the class of workers who succeeded the peasant class of the pre-industrial era Marx further identified sub-classes Petty (petite) bourgeoisie: small-time owners with little capital Lumpenproletariat: small-time criminals, beggars, unemployed  Marx’s Historical Context Marx wrote at the height of the Industrial Revolution Dialectical materialism Prevalence of laissez-faire market practices Struggle between capitalist interests and Karl Marx workers’ rights Source: Britannica  Class as a Social Identity According to Marx, class has a corporate (or organic) identity as a real social group Each class has a shared sense of common purpose, rooted in class consciousness: An awareness of what is in the best interests of one’s class The owner class always possesses class consciousness The workers had false consciousness, a belief that something is in one’s best interests when it is not  Economic Determinism For Marx, there is only one all- important imperative, institution or structure that determines what happens in all other structures – ECONOMY This make the view of Marx deterministic – economic determinism. Economy is the base upon which other substructures are erected  Weber’s Critique of Marx Max Weber also studied social inequality Weber saw society as divided into economic classes, but social inequality goes beyond ownership of the means of production Weber stressed three elements that contribute to social equity: Wealth Prestige Power  Weber’s Critique of Marx, cont’d Wealth includes factories, other property used to make money and properties that are highly respected by members of the society E.g., Super Bowl quarterbacks (flashy car, expensive house, trophy spouse) Prestige is the degree of respect an individuals, their socially valued possessions, and their master statuses are viewed by majority of people in a society Power is the ability of individuals or groups to achieve their goals despite the opposition of others E.g., Arnarld Schwarzenegger and Ronald Reagan Using Class to Study Social Inequality Today It is difficult to apply a traditional Marxist class interpretations to contemporary societies in countries such as Canada Most people do not fit in the capitalist–worker binary We have workers with very high incomes (e.g., bank presidents, corporate CEOs, professional hockey players, etc..,) We also have business owners with low incomes (e.g., farmers, owners of small businesses) We also have the middle class, with a powerful sense of itself as a class Using Class to Study Social Inequality Today, cont’d Curtis, Grabb, and Guppy (1999) amended Marx’s class paradigm within the Canadian context Dominant capitalist class: composed of those who own or control large-scale production Middle class: representing a mixed … middle category of small businesspeople, educated professional-technical or administrative personnel, credentialed salaried employees and wage earners Working class (proletariat): people who lack resources or capacities apart from their own labour power  Class Divisions and Popular Sport Class and sport are connected at the professional and recreational levels E.g., golf and tennis are associated with the wealthy classes Sports that offer people from poorer socio-economic backgrounds opportunities to achieve financial rewards are called mobility sports E.g., basketball, soccer, boxing Social Stratification: Another View of Social Inequality Social stratification describes society as though it is divided into a series of layers. Stratum is a group to which people belong on the bases of their income, education, or income for the purpose of statistical analysis Strata are used as units of analysis in stratified sampling, a research method in which equal samples are drawn from each stratum of the population Social Stratification: Another View of Social Inequality cont’d The reality of poverty for a typical family in Canada Income Inequality and Child Poverty in Canada: From Poor No More Question: how can the causes of poverty be addressed at a structural level? Using Quintiles to Explain Class Quintile is a segment, or stratum, representing each of five equal groups into which the population is divided Each making up 20 per cent of the population Income inequality, for example, can be measured by comparing the income of quintiles Ideology: Explaining Social Inequality Arguments and ideas pertaining to social inequality are shaped by ideology: Ideology is a set of beliefs about society and the people in it, usually forming the basis of a particular economic or political theory Dominant Ideology Is the set of beliefs put forward by, and generally supportive of, society’s dominant culture and/or classes. E.g. trickle-down theory States that if the wealthy are given the freedom to generate more wealth, others in society will benefit Neoliberal Ideology Neoliberalism, or neoliberal ideology, is a dominant ideology that views the individual as an independent player on the sociological scene It reflects a belief in a great deal of social mobility the ability of individuals to move (generally upward) from one class, or stratum, to another It downplays concerns over social inequality Success or failure to fulfill the American dream rests solely with the individual’s motivation and hard work May result, in the case of failure, in blaming the victim: Assigning responsibility for events to the individual rather than broader social causes that are beyond the individual’s control Counter-Ideology Counter-ideology offers a critique of a dominant ideology, challenges its justice and its universal applicability to societies. Counter ideologies seek to create significant social change E.g., Classical Marxism, Neo-Marxism, the Occupy movement, Idle No More, cancel culture, etc… Hegemony Antonio Gramsci (1891–1937) was a critic of the dominant ideology To explain the prevalence of the dominant ideology, he used the term hegemony: A set of non-coercive methods of maintaining power used by the dominant class (e.g., through the media or educational system) Neo-Marxian Analysis – Dependency Theory Similar to the work of Gramsci, Andre Gunder Frank foreground the thesis on under-development. Walter Rodney, writing on ‘How Europe Underdeveloped Africa’, contributed to this thesis. Global Capitalism: The global system is made up of the core countries (capitalist West), the semi-peripheral countries of the emerging nations, and the periphery (least developed countries). Continued Annexation and Exploitation: Global inequalities are historical – the dominant west is dependent on the wealth of the peripheries to develop right from slavery to colonialism, to neo- colonialism. Neo-Marxian Analysis – Dependency Theory Neo-colonialism: The old strategies of colonialism have been rebranded in many ways and shades through the agency of: International trade: Who controls World Trade Organization, for instance? Or whose currency is used for global exchange? Activities of Multinationals – multinational companies (MNCs.) E.g., Coca-Cola, Shell. Aids: Official aids by IMF, instance, often render poor countries poorer Non-transfer of technology Democracy Education Etc Poverty and Excess: The Real Effects of Social Inequality One indicator of inequality in Canada is the existence and use of food banks: Non-profit organizations that collect, store, and distribute food free of charge directly or through front line agencies According to Food Banks Canada’s Hunger Account Food bank use increased by 28% higher than the total in March 2008 and 2017 In March 2018 45 % single person households; 19% single parents Minimum Wage and Living Wage Minimum Wage: lowest hourly rate a person can be paid for their work. Minimum-wage jobs are often the easiest ones to replace with automation. Living Wage: generally, represents a target above the existing minimum wage Is considered too low for the “working poor” to live on People paid minimum wage often have to use food banks  Canada’s “1 per cent” The 2011 Occupy movement raised awareness to the fact that: 1 % of the world’s population-controlled 99 percent of the world’s wealth. The income disparities in Canada was no different Canadians observed that in only three days, Canada’s top 100 CEOs earn as much as the average Canadian in a year In 2010, the highest paid CEO’s salary was 189 times that of the average Canadian. In comparison to 1995 when the best-paid CEO’s salary was 85 times that of the average Canadian That suggests inequality in Canada is increasing  Concluding thoughts Inequality is inherent in human history It is power-related and elusive It permeates the whole spectrum of human interactions; both small and large group interactions. Positive attitude and empathy for others are important…