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Theories of Class - Coggle Diagram
Theories of Class
Functionalism
Herbert Spencer: 'survival of the fittest', people could genetically pass learned qualities such as frugality and morality on to their children. He opposed any laws that helped workers deemed as 'genetically weak'. He argued they would go against the evolution of society by delaying the extinction of the 'unfit'.
Outdated, used to justify notions of genetic superiority and imperialism. No 'value consensus'. Critical view of human nature.
Parsons: value consensus. Stratification is inevitable and part of all human societies and are fair because they are a result of shared values.
Davis and Moore (1945): in order for society to function, there must first be effective role allocation and performance; ensures meritocracy. High rewards motivate high performance, therefore unequal rewards are necessary. Argues medical education is so burdensome that none would undertake if it didn't carry rewards.
Melvin Tumin: the idea of talent is questionable as there is no evidence it is required for important positions, so inequality is not inevitable but is dysfunctional, it can de-motivate and divide, creating a lack of stability also encourages prejudice, distrust and hostility.
The New Right
Peter Saunders: three types of equality (outcome, legal and opportunity), however disagrees with the first. Equality of outcome is not desirable as if everyone got the same, there would be no motivation. Competition raises quality of goods and services and drives down prices as entrepreneurs are encouraged to invent things. Britain is unequal but fair, middle class students do better because their parents are brighter and work harder; intelligence theory.
Tumin: argues unequal rewards act as a barrier to motivation as it effects people's aspirations. Those who occupy top positions erect obstacles to prevent people making it to the top, disregarding meritocracy.
Marshall and Shift (1993): Saunders ignore evidence against meritocracy, relative social mobility has declined, those born in 1970 have less chance of mobility than their parents.
Early capitalism, South Africa Chile were all fee market capitalist economies and are all very repressive.
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Neo-Marxism
Antoni Gramsci: hegemony; method used by the bourgeoisie to maintain control within capitalism without using force or coercion. Culture is used to transmit class ideas.
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Louis Althusser: bourgeoisie maintain power by the Repressive State Apparatus (coercive powers) and the Ideological State Apparatus (agencies of socialisation). The belief in our own ability to control our own actions is a defining reason for the lack of revolution.
29% of UK educated MPs are educated privately in the new 2017 parliament, compared to about 7% of the population. 52% went to comprehensive schools, and 17% to grammar schools.
Marxism
Karl Marx: society is based on conflict between a ruling class and a subject class. The only way to overcome this would be through a worker's revolution. The mode of production is the 'infrastructure' (economic system) and this shapes the superstructure (everything else). Ruling class ideology is passed on, maintaining a false class consciousness.
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