CONFLICT THEORIES

What are the two main conflict theories?

marxism and feminism

What do conflict theories think society is based off of?

unequal groups with competing interests

What is Marxism?

a critique of capitalism (poverty, inequality and class conflict)

How do marxists think society is divided?

between bourgeoisie and the proletariat which is based on exploitation, surplus values, opposing interests believed this conflict would lead to communism

What do traditional marxists say about workers?

often accept inequality due to the ISA and false class consciousness

What do marxists aim for?

social change through revolution

What has the modern day brought about the rise of?

the middle class which has sratified power and made people convinced that meritocracy can exist

According to marxists, how are ideas transmitted?

ISA and RSA

What are the positives of conflict theories?

explain why inequality exists and why rapid social change occurs

What can be a criticism of individuals and marxism?

too deterministic, all centred around economy also seen as reductionist and outdated

What evidence is there that people do make it?

the middle class or Richard Branson

What doesn't marxism account for?

class or ethnicity individual differences

What is the counter argument about the claim that there is not conflict in society?

arguably is through the rise of more extremist political policies

What evidence is there that the ISA is weakening?

media not owned by the ruling class entirely, secularisation is occurring

What are Marx’s 5 stages of historical marxism?

primitive communism, slave society, feudalism, capitalism, communism

How does Marx argue that oppression is maintained?

through the superstructure and the base G

Who put forward the RSA and ISA?

Gramsci

What is an example of marxism being influential?

the Cold War

How can Marx’s prediction of the 5 stages seen to be untrue?

in Russia, they skipped the phase of capitalism and went straight to communism

What is Gramsci’s idea of relative autonomy?

the superstructure is not wholly influenced by the base, similar to his idea of hegemony and counter hegemony

What do feminists argue about society?

it is male stream, androcentric and sexist

what is an example of androcentric society?

the issue with Canadian snow, the clearing of the roads vs the pavements

What do radical feminists think is the answer?

political lesbianism, sexual revolution, separatism

What idea do radical feminists reject?

biology is destiny and believe gender oppression is a social construction

What does feminist Miller say?

that men sustain their power through socialisation, physical violence, ideology, legal, political and economic inequalities and myths like romance or religion

What does liberal feminist Whenleham argue?

the gains of feminism have been lost due to retro sexism and laddish culture and popular culture which ignores female oppression and objectifies women

What example is there of oppression of women vs decreasing the gap?

15% play disparity vs GIST and WISE

What do marxist feminists say?

class and sex are interlinked means of oppression

What does marxist feminists Engels say?

development of private property and mongomous marriages

What does Marxist feminist Henderson say?

the practice of patrilocality in which married women were expected to live with their husbands family

What do socialist feminists advocate?

economic and social policy change whereas marxists want revolution

Whta do postmodern feminists assume?

‘woman’ is an outdated meta-narrative, gender inequality can be overthrown by deconstructing masculine language, reject the idea all women have the same experience

What are the assumptions of black feminists?

argue liberals only focus on white, middle class women, racism and sexism are ‘dual levels of oppression’, need to challenge both for true emancipation but differ as to whether they want revolution or reform

What three research methods do feminists favour?

qualitative interviewing, feminist ethnography and focus groups

What threee areas should feminist methodology highlight?

women’s experience, new purpose of social science, locationg the research Rin the same critical plane as the subject

What are the strengths of feminism?

highlights male stream sociology, raised gender inequality, introduces new research topics

What are the limitations of feminists?

they disagree more than they agree radical feminists advocate hatred, ignore progress made by women and not all experiences are the same

Why do feminists use qualitative data?

understand experiences of women

Why do feminists use feminist ethnography?

(researcher participates ubiquitous daily lives of participants) allows a full documentation and understanding of women’s experience

Why do feminists use focus groups?

its less artificial than face-to-face interviews providing group insight and establishes power structures