sociology week 5 + 6

social stratification

society’s categorization of its people into rankings based on factors like wealth, income, education, family background, and power

closed systems

a system of stratification that accommodates little changes in social position

estate systems

control of lands; two major estates: the landed gentry and the peasantry

class systems

based on both social factors and individual achievement

class

consists of a set of people who share similar status based on factors like wealth, income, education, and family background

meritocracy

hypothetical system in which social stratification is determined exclusively by personal effort and merit.

global stratification

compares the wealth, status, power, and economic stability of countries across the worldr

relative poverty

not having the means to live the lifestyle of the average person in your country

extreme (absolute) poverty

deprivation so severe it puts day-to-day survival in jeopardys

subjective poverty

a state of poverty composed of many dimensions, subjectively present when one’s actual income does not meet one’s expectation

life chances

individuals access to basic opportunities and resources in the marketplace

human development index

used by the UN to rank countries based on life expectancy, education, and overall standard of living as measured by income per capita

gini coefficient

measurement of inequality within a country

feminization of poverty

increasing differences in poverty rates between men and women

chattel slavery

form of slavery when one person owns another as property

debt b*ndage

the poor pledge themselves as servants in exchange for the cost of basic necessities like transportation, room, and board

Davis Moore Hypothesis (F)

jobs that are more important pay more to incentivize people to work to get those jobs

division of labor (F)

the ways that patterns foster stability by ensuring that all necessary roles are complete by someone

gender stratification (F)

create division of labor as women are at home and men are out of home

Lenski’s View of Societal Development (F)

societies with less development and fewer resources may appear to be more equal, but it is because everybody has fewer resources

free market

capitalist economic order in which prices are set by market forces based on competition

conflict theory

social stratification is a system of exploitation in which rich exploit the working class

Marx’s View of Class Differentiation

the ruling class owns means of production

zero-sum game

bourgeoisie to retain more of earnings means to steal from the proletariat

substructure

base of society (relations of production: technical division of labor…)

superstructure

includes ideas, philosophies, and culture of a society

power inequalities

those in positions of power actively maintain and perpetuate inequality to protect their privileged status.

dependency theory (CT)

propose that colonialism and neocolonialism, continuing economic dependence on and exploitation of former colonial countries, are the main causes of global poverty

wallerstein’s worls systems theory (CT)

suggests that wealthy countries benefit from other countries and exploit those countries citizens

immanuel wallerstein

suggests that the way a country is integrated into the capitalist world system determines how economic development takes place in that country

Hierarchy of 3 types of countries

1. core (US, Germany, Japan, etc) - high level of industrialization and urbanization

2. semiperipheral (South Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, India, Brazil, South Africa) - less developed than core nations, but more developes than peripheral nations

   1. peripheral (african and low-income countries in South America) - dependent on core countries for capital and are less industrialized and urbanized

stratification hierarchy

1. class / wealth - person’s economic position in a society, based on birth / individual achievement

2. status / prestige - person’s prestige, social honor, or popularity in society

   1. power / political party - ability to get their way despite resistance of others

conspicuous consumption (SI)

purchase and use of certain products to make a social statement about status

status inconsistency

situation where an individuals social positions have both positive and negative influences on his or her social status

social mobility

change in wealth and social status, including health, literacy, education, or other markers deemed important by a society of individuals/families over timev

vertical social mobility

moving higher or lower positions in stratification system

horizontal social mobility

moving to the other social positions of similar statuss

structural social mobility

structural changes within a country like level of education changing or economic forces which shift the types of job available

relative social mobility

social mobility experienced by an individual or family, not related to the overall structure or economic conditions of the country

intergenerational social mobility

refers to changes relative to parents - between / among

intragenerational social mobility

changes within a person’s own lifetime - within

class traits

typical behaviors, customs, and norms that define each class

lower income

2/3rds of the median

higher income

double the median

social inequality

differences in what resources are available to people, what power they hold, or other measurable areas of differences

income

a person’s wages or investments dividens

wealth

the net value of money and assets

assimilation

process by which a minority individual or group takes on the characteristics of a dominant culture

colorism

the belief that one type of skin tone is superior / inferior to another within a racial group

culture of prejudice

the conceptual understanding of how prejudice is embedded within a culture through norms, laws, and institutions rather than simply individual actors

discrimination

prejudiced action against a group of people

dominant group

a group of people who have more power and resources in a society than any of the subordinate groups, regardless of numerical differences

ethnicity

shared culture, which may include heritage, language, religion, and more

minority group

any group of people who are singled out from the other for differential and unequal treatment, or who systemically hold fewer resources and power, even if they are numerically larger

one drop rule

the constructed definition of race and used in many states to define a person as “black” if they had even a single ancestor who was black

prejudice

biased thought based on flawed or stereotypical assumptions about a group of people

privilege

a system of unearned advantages experienced based on ascribed statuses

race

a system of classification of people based on socially constructed differences as well as perceived physical characteristics such as skin color, facial features, and build

racism

a set of practices, institutional policies, beliefs, or attitudes that are used to justify the belief that one racial category is superior/inferior to otherss

segregation

the physical separation of two groups, particularly in residency, but also in workplace or social functions

stereotypes

oversimplified ideas about groups and people

subordinate group

a group of people who have less power than the dominant group

systemic racism

racism embedded in social institutions; also referred to as instituyional racism and structural racism

Johann Blumenbach

categorized humans in 5 diff categories

scientific racism

twisted the language of science to justify the abuse of other humans

social construction of race

the manner in which societies create meaning and categories that are useful for a given society.

national origin

has to do with the geographic and political associations with a person’s birthplace or residence

nationality and citizenship

have legal meaning that vary by country

functionalism on tace and ethnicity

when elements are out of balance, dysfunctions emerge, but societies regulate themselves and return to social balance

dysfunction

the waste of human potential

conflict theory

often applied to inequalities of gender, social class, education, race, and ethnicity

symbolic interactionism on race and ethnicity

race and ethnicity provide strong symbols as sources of identity

symbols of race are what lead to racism

herbert blumer

suggested that racial prejudice is formed through interactions between members of the dominant group: without these interactions individuals in the dominat group would not hold racist views

intersectionality

refers to an analysis of the intersection of race and gender

invisble knapsack

most people have some level of privilege

systemic issues

highlights the way the discriminatory practices are embedded into the structure of society

white flight

large scale migration of whites from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homegenous suburban areas

intergroup relations

relationships between different groups of people

tolerant (pluralism)

no distinction is made between minority and majority groups but equal standing

intolerant

amalgamation, expulsion, and even genocide

Individual / interpersonal racism

prejudice / discrimination executed by individuals consciously/unconsciously that occurs between individuals

racial profiling

singling out of racial minorities for differential treatment is usually harsher

historical racism

economic inequality or social disparity caused by past racism

cultural racism

occurs when the assumption of inferiority of one or more races is built into the culture of society

color avoidance racism

avoidance of racial language in a manner that makes it impossible to accurately articulate the racism experience within a culture

genocide

deliberate annihilation of a targeted group - most toxic intergroup relationship

population transfer or expulsion

subordinate group being forced, by dominant group, to leave a certain area or country - factor in genocide

internal colonialism

manner in which a superordinate (majority) group exploits a subordinate (minorty) group of economic advantage

de jure segregation

enforced by law

de facto segregation

occurs without laws but because of other factors

Robert Park’s 3 stage process of assimilation

1. competitive phase: tension between the new ethnic group and the larger more established group competing over resources

2. Accommodation phase: ethnic groups move toward a more institutionalized, stable intergroup relationship, which could include forms of institutional discrimination such as segregation.

   1. assimilation phase: merging or fusion of two or more ethnic groups into a single, shared set of traditions, sentiments, memories, and attitudes

cultural assimilation

occurs when the new ethnic groups adopt values, beliefs, practices, languages of the dominant group

structural assimilation

occurs when members of the new ethnic group are incorporated and integrated into the primary groups of the dominant culture

marital assimilation

intermarriage across ethnic groups

identification assimilation

which members identify themselves with their ethnic group

civic assimilation

extent to which individuals are in agreement with civic values and participate in politics

anglo-conformity

promoted subordination of ethic and immigrant cultural values to Anglo-American values, practices, holidays, and exclusive use of the English language

separatism

withdrawal, oftentimes a result of discrimination

amalgamation

process by which people of color and majority group combine to form a new group

pluralism

characterized by mutual respect on the part of all cultures, dominant and subordinate, creating a multicultural environment of acceptance.