Conflict orientation
- Society is characterized by inequality… resources and rewards are unevenly distributed
among the population
- Institutions reinforce the legitimacy of inequality
- Inequality is not “functional”
- Inequality is not the fault of the subordinate group or a failure of the system, the problem
is the system!
Marxism
- Critical of the system
- Means of production
- Eg. Refers to the raw material that goes into making shoes
- Productive relations
- Most important in industrial culture exists between bourgeoisie and proletariat
(Tensions/ relationships between workers and owners)
- Lumpen-proletariat (criminals, unemployed people, homeless people)
- Surplus value
- Refers to value of cost put into of eg. making a shoe
- Societies and their structures are not stable
General marxist theory: two principle points
- The bourgeoisie controls are the dominant social institutions which, in turn, reflect and
uphold the rule and the interests of the capitalist class
- Media
- Legislature
- Criminal justice system
- Capitalist society strengthens inequality
Merton's strain theory: another flavor of the conflict perspective
- The problems within the system are due to unequal access (eg. nutritional diet,
healthcare, education). Not everyone has the same chance of getting stuff
- Unequal access to legitimate means AND the maintenance of conventional goals and
norms
- People adapt to unequal access (eg. going to school to get a high paying job. Not
everyone can do that but it doesn't mean they dont want it)
- Leads to strain which, in turn leads to people seeking alternative means of achieving
success, which leads to conflict. (eg. sell drugs to buy a fancy car)
How to identify a conflict perspective
- The problems and inequalities are caused by the system
- Eg. Convince people that they don't need stuff. The people doing the convincing can
keep their stuff.
- Conflict analyses:
