chapter 7

Dialectic Materialism

A notion of history that privileges conflict over economic, material resources as the central struggle and driver of change in society

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

argued that if we stripped away all elements of society that result from the institution of private property, only social equality would remain.

Vertical social mobility

the movement between different class statuses, often called either upward mobility or downward mobility

exchange mobility

the movement of individuals among positions within a given distribution of positions among social classes

Conflict Theory

way of studying society that focuses on the inequalities of different groups in a society

Meritocracy

A society where status and mobility are based on individual attributes, ability, and achievement and talent.

class system

A stratified system based on socioeconomic status in which individuals have the potential (real or imagined) for mobility.

social mobility

The movement between different positions within a system of social stratification in any given society.

wealth

The total value of money and other assets, minus outstanding debts

social equality

a condition in which no differences in wealth, power, prestige, or status based on nonnatural conventions exist

estate system

a politically based system of stratification characterized by limited social mobility ex: control of land

status hierarchy system

a system of stratification based on social prestige (reputation or esteem associated with one's position in society, which is closely tied to their social class)

status-attainment model

approach that RANKS individuals by socioeconomic status, including income and educational attainment, and that seeks to specify the attributes characteristic of people who end up in more desirable occupations.

Marx's two classes

bourgeoisie (capitalist class) and proletariat (working class)

Erik Olin Wright

developed the concept of contradictory class locations, which is the idea that people can occupy locations in the class structure that fall between the two "pure" classes defined by Marx. ex: a manager, like workers, they are exploited by capitalists (who make a profit from managerial work), yet like capitalists themselves they dominate and control workers.

socioeconomic status

position of an individual or group on the socioeconomic scale, which is determined by a combination of social and economic factors such as income, amount and kind of education, type and prestige of occupation, place of residence

structural mobility

societal changes enable a whole group of people to move up or down the social class ladder

Structural Functionalism

society's many parts—institutions, norms, traditions, and so on—mesh to produce a stable, working whole that evolved over time

elite-mass dichotomy system

system of stratification that has a governing elite

Stratification

the hierarchical organization of a society into groups with differing levels of power, social prestige, or status and economic resources

horizontal social mobility

the occupational movement of individuals or groups within a social class