Conflict Theory

the sociological theory of Karl Marx

• critiqued “hands-off” approach to theory

• explores consequences of the emerges of capitalism on the structure of society and the nature of social relationships

  • describes changes and who benefits

• development of a class society organized around a capitalist mode of production

social class (Marx)

a relationship to the means of production

• bourgeoisie

• proletariat

bourgeoisie

the owners of the means of production

proletariat

the workers who must sell their labor for survival

exploitation (Marx)

capital is privately owned by the bourgeoisie and surplus is not adequately shared with the workers.

• workers own nothing and are only paid what is necessary for their survival

• labor becomes the source of value of commodities (labor theory of value)

• owners own means of production and products of workers’ labor

• results in the establishment of “bourgeois private property,” the basis for creating surplus

alienation (Marx)

the breakdown of and separation from the natural interconnection between

• people and their productive activities

• the products they produce

• the fellow workers with whom they produce those things

• what they are potentially capable of becoming

false consciousness (Marx)

inaccurate sense of themselves that both the proletariat and bourgeoisie have under capitalism

“those who control the means of production control the means of mental production”

• how and what we (proletariat) think is controlled by the bourgeoisie to distort the true nature of class relations

• workers are not aware of their collective interests

class consciousness (Marx)

the ability of a class, particularly the proletariat, to overcome false consciousness and attain an accurate understanding of the capitalist system.

• result in economic revolution in which workers seize control over the means of production and distribute surplus equally.

economic determinism (Marx)

changes in the economy change all other facets of society

• economic imbalances will manifest themselves in other dimensions of society (would cause anomie)

Marx’s view on culture and economy

control over means of production (economy) —> control over mental production (culture)

Parsons’ view on culture and information

latency (culture) controls all information in society

traditional authority

authority based on the followers’ belief that the ability and right to rule is passed down through heredity and has always been as such (Weber).

part of functional system for constraining individual action via the cultural system (Parsons).

rational-legal authority

authority in which the legitimacy is derived from codified rules and regulations (Weber).

part of functional system for constraining individual action via the social system (Parsons).

charismatic authority

authority legitimated by followers’ belief in exceptional sanctity, heroism, or exemplary character of the leader (Weber).

part of functional system for constraining individual action via the personality system (Parsons).

Weber’s dimensions of stratification

• class

• status

• party (power)

social class (Weber)

those who have a similar economic position; a statistic aggregate, not a unified group.

highest social class controls economic resources.

status (Weber)

those who share a specific, positive or negative, social estimation of honor; prestige groups who share common lifestyles and common awareness.

highest status groups control solidarity and group membership.

party (power) (Weber)

the ability to impose one’s will upon another despite resistance; parities live in the house of power (power is a form of social organization).

those with most power have access to means of coercion.

Weber’s conflict theory

economic classes, status groups, and power groups can all be distinct dimensions of stratification.

Marx’s conflict theory

economic class causes all aspects of stratification, such as those within status and power groups.

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (Weber)

• historical analysis of the emergence of capitalism

• Weber attempts to:

  • refute Marxist conflict theory

  • explain why capitalism emerged in the West

  • demonstrate that cultural values can direct social action in addition material conditions

• Protestantism provides an ethic which is the spirit of capitalism

  • moral capitalism

• nations who had achieved a greater degree of occupational success tended to be Protestant

• Parsons: control means of mental production —> control means of production

  • values created economic system (L gives information to rest of system)

Weber’s theory of the relationship between the cultural system and economic system

a system of cultural ideals provides the driving force for the structure of the economy; superstructure influences base.

Marx’s theory of the relationship between the cultural system and economic system

the economic (material) system determines the cultural system; base influences superstructure.

superstructure

abstract information in society including culture, ideology, and values.

themes of sociological theory (Dahrendorf)

consensus theory and conflict theory presuppose one another:

• any theory of conflict needs to assume some form of consensus

• any theory of consensus needs to assume some form of conflict

Dahrendorf and social structure

• statuses (positions), roles (expected behaviors/responsibilities), status-role complex

• social structure not just a site of integration but also conflict

• in division of labor, status positions are differentiated by authority

• authority attached to social positions is social power

• social structures are means for distributing power and classifying people into two groups:

  • super-ordinates

  • sub-ordinates

super-ordinate (Dahrendorf)

order givers (managerial positions)

sub-ordinate (Dahrendorf)

order takers

Dahrendorf and power

• every social setting has a structure (status-role complex) and distribution of power

• social settings are imperatively coordinated associations

• each have a hierarchy of authority positions where power is distributed

  • amount of power a given person has changes on social setting

imperatively coordinated associations (Dahrendorf)

social groups or organizations where authority and power relations are structured hierarchically.

• e.g., military, work groups, churches, classrooms, restaurants, corporations, any bureaucracy, etc.

authority relations (Dahrendorf)

• fundamental dichotomy:

  • those who have power (superordinates)

  • those who who do not have power (subordinates)

    • group in the middle: transfer power

• dichotomy provides basis for conflict because the groups have different interests

  • those with authority maintain status quo

  • those without authority change status quo

• conflict of interests is basis of conflict

interests (Dahrendorf)

“structurally generated orientations of the actions of incumbents of defined positions”

• worldview is based on the position you occupy

  • ownership/identification with role

latent vs manifest interests

• when manifest interests do not align with latent interests, false consciousness occurs

• latent: underlying (before consciousness)

• manifest: deliberate (after consciousness)

conflict groups (Dahrendorf)

structure of authority relationships produces:

• quasi groups

• interest groups

• conflict groups

quasi group (Dahrendorf)

individuals who occupy similar social positions and thus have the same role interests

• no consciousness, alienated workers

interest groups (Dahrendorf)

the organized form of the quasi group which has a membership, an awareness of their collective interests, and a clear goal.

• e.g., unions

conflict groups (Dahrendorf)

an interest group which seeks to realize its interests through conflict.

• e.g., a striking union

the effect of conflict on change (Dahrendorf)

• the more violent the class conflict, the more sudden the complete exchange (replacement) of personnel in dominant positions

• the more intense the class conflict, the more radical the change in the values and institutions of imperatively coordinated associations

C. Wright Mills

• conflict theorist

• expanded on Marx and Weber (mostly Weberian)

• main ideas:

  • sociological imagination

  • power elites

  • mass society and manipulation

  • bureaucracy and alienation

sociological imagination (C. Wright Mills)

translating personal biography as social issues

the power elite (C. Wright Mills)

power is concentrated in the hands of a small group of elites:

• corporate leaders (class)

• military leaders (power)

• political leaders (power)

• celebrities (status)

make decisions that benefit themselves, not the general public

corporate leaders (C. Wright Mills)

big business and economic elites

• control means of production

• Weber’s class

military leaders (C. Wright Mills)

the Pentagon and defense establishment

• Weber’s power

political leaders (C. Wright Mills)

top government officials

• Weber’s power

celebrities (C. Wright Mills)

notable popular culture figures

• Weber’s status

military industrial complex (C. Wright Mills)

• close ties between the military and large corporations

• governments justify war and military spending to serve corporate and political interests rather than public safety

• influenced later critiques of war profiteering and government surveillance

mass society and manipulation (C. Wright Mills)

• general public is passive and manipulated by the mass media, which serves corporate interests.

• people are “cheerful robots”

• people distracted by consumer culture, entertainment, and political propaganda, preventing them from questioning the system

• “freedom is the power to choose the choices from which you will choose”

bureaucracy and alienation (C. Wright Mills)

• built on Weber’s idea of bureaucracy

• modern institutions create alienation (separation from reality of everyday life and ability to make choices) and powerlessness

• average person has little control over political and economic decisions that affect their lives

Erik Olin Wright

• neo-Marxist

• main ideas:

  • contradictory class locations

  • exploitation and class structure

  • social stratification and power struggles

contradictory class locations (Olin Wright)

• “in-between” classes between bourgeoisie and proletariat

• have conflicting interests, making them both oppressed and exploiters in different ways

  • ex) managers, small business owners, highly skilled professionals

• create internal tensions and conflict, shaping class alliances and struggles

  • differential access to power; not connected by shared interests

exploitation and class structure (Olin Wright)

• defined by who controls resources and who benefits from others’ labor

• three key dimensions:

  • control over productive assets

  • control over labor power

  • control over investments and organization of work

• examines conflict within the middle class

social stratification and power struggles (Olin Wright)

class conflict driven by:

• money

• authority

• education

• social prestige

Edna Bonacich

• split labor market theory

  • racial and ethnic divisions in job market

  • workers fight each other rather than system

split labor market theory (Bonacich)

• job market divided into different segments along racial and ethnic lines

• different wage levels, working conditions, benefits, etc.

• used to exploit workers and maintain inequality

  • workers fight each other rather than system

divided labor segments (Bonacich)

• primary segment: skilled workers with higher wages, better working conditions, and job security

• secondary segment: marginalized workers with lower wages, less security, and poor working conditions

racial and ethnic divisions (Bonacich)

• exploited by employers to keep wages low in the secondary labor market

• workers in primary labor market may resist solidarity with workers in the secondary labor market

economic exploitation and social stratification (Bonacich)

• division of labor based on race/ethnicity reinforces inequality

• certain groups disproportionately represented in lower-wage and insecure jobs

Randall Collins

• neo-Weberian conflict theorist

• main theories:

  • micro-level interactions

  • emotional dynamics of power and domination

  • credentialism and education as conflict

  • state power and violence

conflict is rooted in social interaction (Collins)

• conflict emerges in everyday social interaction

• people compete for power, status, and resources, even in small-group settings

• emotional resources important for micro-situations

emotional energy and rituals (Collins)

• interaction rituals generate emotional energy that reinforces social hierarchies

• winners in conflict (bourgeoisie) gain confidence and dominance

• losers in conflict (proletariat) become passive and withdrawn

• Durkheim’s collective effervescence is stratified

micro-level domination (Collins)

• power enacted through interactions, conversations, and body language

• dominant individuals control speech, physical space, and emotional resources in interactions

credentialism and education as conflict (Collins)

• education is not about learning but about social closure (keeping power in within social groups)

• credential inflation is a tool for elite control

  • requiring more degrees for jobs that don’t need them

• schools reproduce class inequalities rather than create equal opportunities

state power and violence (Collins)

• the state monopolizes violence as uses it selectively to maintain control

• police and military power not just for public safety but to reinforce social hierarchies

• laws are not simply about ethics and moral decisions but reinforce social hierarchies

• states compete with one another in power and prestige conflicts

Heidi Hartmann

• Marxist feminist

• dual systems theory

  • capitalism and patriarchy

  • family as site of oppression

  • workplace as patriarchal institution

  • feminism and class struggle

dual systems theory (Hartmann)

capitalism and patriarchy are two separate but interconnected systems that work together to oppress women

interconnection of capitalism and patriarchy (Hartmann)

• capitalism exploits workers for profit

• patriarchy reinforces gender inequality

• capitalism and patriarchy reinforce each other

family as site of oppression (Hartmann)

• nuclear family benefits from capitalism and patriarchy

• women perform unpaid domestic labor which:

  • reduces costs for capitalism (companies don’t pay for childcare)

  • keeps women dependent on men (reinforces patriarchal control

the workplace as a patriarchal institution (Hartmann)

• women placed in lower status jobs that:

  • pay less than male-dominated jobs

  • offer fewer chances for promotion

  • expect “feminine” traits like caregiving and emotional labor

• men control most positions of power, reinforcing workplace inequality

breaking the system: feminism and class struggle (Hartmann)

• challenge capitalism and patriarchy to achieve equality

• solutions:

  • equal pay and workplace rights

  • state-supported childcare to free women from domestic constraints

  • challenging gender roles that keep women in subordinate positions