Social Groups and Social Stratification (Miller Chapter 7)

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2008

Social Groups and Social Stratification

(Miller Chapter 7)


The BIG Questions

What is the range of cross-cultural variation of social groups?

What is social stratification, and what are its effects on people?

What is civil society?


What is a social group? A social group is a cluster of people

beyond the domestic unit who are usually related on grounds other than kinship, although kinship relationships may exist between people in the group

Members of all social groups have a sense of rights and responsibilities in relation to the group which, if not maintained, could mean loss of membership


Categories of social groups Primary group – consisting of people

who interact with each other and know each other personally

Secondary group – consisting of people who identify with each other on some common ground but who may never meet with one another or interact with each other personally


Types of Social Groups

Friendship Clubs and fraternities Countercultural groups Work groups Cooperatives Self-help groups


Friendship Friendship refers to close social ties

between at least two people that are informal, are voluntary, and involve personal, face-to-face interaction

Friends are mutually supportive of each other, psychologically and sometimes materially


Friendship Vary cross culturally

e.g. Racial segregation, gender segregation may limit possibilities for friendships

Influenced by technology Cell phones

May play important roles in economic survival In low income communities Sharing, swapping goods (food and clothing),

baby sitting, lending money between individuals Often refer to each other by kin terms to signify

the importance and significance of these relationships


Friendship

Usually between social equals

Related to microcultural factors such as gender, age, class, ethnicity, and institutions

Maintained through balanced exchange

May contribute to economic security among the poor


Clubs and Fraternities Clubs and fraternities are social groups that

define membership in terms of a sense of shared identity and objectives

May comprise of people of the same… Ethnic heritage Occupation or business Religion Gender

Often some sort of initiation to be accepted Anything from paying monetary dues to gang rape


Clubs and Fraternities Have a variety of functions

Sociability Psychological support Economic and political roles

Sponsoring special events Responding to emergencies Collecting food or money to distribute to those

less fortunate Volunteering in the community in other ways etc.


Countercultural Groups People who resist conforming to the

dominant cultural pattern – are outside the “mainstream” of society Hippies Youth gangs Body modification groups

Importance of bonding through shared initiation and other rituals


Youth gangs Youth gang refers to a group of young

people, found mainly in urban areas, who are often considered a social problem by adults and law enforcement officials

Are not always violent May be very formally organized or

informally organized


Street gangs Street gangs are a formal variety of a youth

gang, often involved in unlawful activities Have leaders and a hierarchy of membership roles

and responsibilities Theories for why individuals join street gangs

include… Coming from homes with no male authority figure

with whom they could identify Replacing a missing feeling of family Defiant individualist personality – characterized by

intense competitiveness, mistrust of wariness, self-reliance, social isolation, and a strong survival instinct

**Poverty – declining urban industrial base causes declining economic opportunities. Illegal pursuits that can be pursued often through street gangs are often much more lucrative than available economic legal activities


Body Modification Groups Include people who have a sense of

community strengthened through forms of body alteration

Doing something that sets apart from others, to identify with a certain body modification group

Often not accepted by the “mainstream”


Work Groups Work groups are groups organized to

perform specific tasks Prominent in horticultural and agricultural

communities Building homes, roads, land preparation,

harvesting, or repair of irrigation canals require large inputs of labor that exceed the capability of a single household unit

May provide labor for chiefs Often made up of youths Can be informally or formally organized


Cooperatives Cooperatives are a form of economic group with

three key features Co-ops are owned and controlled by their primary users Surpluses are shared among the members Decision making follows the democratic principle of one vote

per person Are a variety of different types of cooperatives

Agricultural cooperatives Financial cooperatives (credit unions) Consumer cooperatives Business/craft cooperatives

May be beneficial economically and may provide a source of mutual strength and support


Self-Help Groups Self-help groups are groups formed to

achieve specific personal goals Coping with illness or bereavement

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD)

Lifestyle change Trying to exercise more or lose weight

Numbers have proliferated in recent years Can occur in person or online

http://dailystrength.org/support-groups


Social Stratification Social stratification consists of

hierarchical relationships between different groups – as though they were arranged in layers or strata

Stratified groups may be unequal on a variety of measures, including material resources, power, human welfare, education, leisure activities, overall lifestyle, and symbolic attributes

A person’s position or standing in society is referred to that person’s status


Social Stratification Social stratification appeared relatively

late in human history, most clearly with the emergence of agriculture


Social Stratification All social stratification systems have several

commonalities1. People in groups in higher positions have

privileges not experienced in lower-echelon groups

2. Those with greater entitlements are dominant those with lesser entitlements

3. Members of the dominant groups tend – consciously or unconsciously – to seek to maintain their position May socialize only within the upper status group May marry within the upper status group

4. In spite of efforts to maintain systems of dominance, instances of subversion and rebellion do occur, indicating the potential for agency among the oppressed


Social Stratification Status in society may be…

Ascribed Based on qualities of a person gained through

birth More “closed” in terms of mobility within the

system “Race” Ethnicity Gender Age Physical ability

Achieved Based on qualities of a person gained through

action More “open” in terms of mobility within the

system Class


Social Stratification

Achieved Status Ascribed Status

Class “Race”

Ethnicity

Caste

Hierarchical relationships among different groups including outright discrimination.


Social Class Social class refers to a person’s or

group’s position in society defined primarily in economic terms

In many cultures, class is a key factor in determining a person’s status, whereas in others, it is less important than, for example, birth into a certain family

Is a secondary group


Social Class Prevailing ideology in U.S. is that of

meritocratic individualism Influenced by theories of agency The belief that rewards go to those who deserve

them Individual has the option of moving up in class if

they work hard “Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.”

Structurists point to the power of economic class position in shaping a person’s lifestyle and his/her ability to choose a different one Lack of money and other economic resources

Leads to inability to afford higher education Leads to inability to overcome poverty


“Race”, Ethnicity, Gender, and Caste Are secondary groups Highly determined at birth, but there is a

slight degree of maneuverability within the system Degree of maneuverability often depends

on the cultural-context Degree of discrimination against these

groups differs depending on the cultural context


Traditional Concept of “Race” Humans naturally categorize the natural

world and other people around them to try to make sense of and order the world and the variation that exists around us.

As early as 1350 B.C. ancient Egyptians were classifying humans on the basis of skin color – superficial, obvious differences.

Since this time (especially after the discovery of the New World), race has been used to refer to culturally defined groups.


Problem with the Traditional Concept of “Race” Not just descriptive categories of physical

appearance, but have been used to rank races in a hierarchy or superiority/inferiority and associate various behavioral and intellectual characteristics with physical appearance, justifying slavery, discrimination, etc. against people of different races for hundreds and thousands of years.

Belief that behavioral differences were biologically caused by “race”


Problem with the Traditional Concept of “Race” Racial categories have no basis in

biology Biologically, race is not a valid concept,

especially from a genetic perspective Impossible to tell biologically where one

race ends and another begins Genetic variation within racial groups is

much greater than the genetic variation between racial groups


Modern Day Understanding of Race in Everyday Life Race has been traditionally used as a

biological term, but it has enormous social significance.

Still a widespread perception that certain physical characteristics are associated with various cultural attributes Influence social identity (along with age

and gender) Plays a huge role in how someone is

initially perceived and judged by others


Modern Day Understanding of Race in Everyday Life Racial classifications based on skin

color, depth of skin tone, skin texture, hair color, facial features, other physical features

Levels of income, levels of education, amount of money may influence racial categorizations “Money whitens” in many areas

People with the same physical features may be considered to be in different “races” depending upon how much money they have


Racism Based on false belief that intellect and

cultural factors are inherited with physical characteristics.

Uses culturally defined variables to typify all members of particular populations.

Assumes that one's own group is superior.

Racism is a cultural phenomenon (not a biological one) that is found worldwide.


Racism Pretending that racism doesn’t exist

may allow it continue 1994 – end of apartheid in South Africa

Official end of laws supporting segregation Existence of racism is denied Led to lack of public discussions about racism Allows racial discrimination to continue in subtle

but often just as harmful ways


Example: post-apartheid recovery in South Africa


Racism Racism exists not only between

different “races” Racism exists even within “races”

There has been a debate within the last few years on whether Obama is black enough… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VyDNug2W

EI


Ethnicity Ethnicity is a sense of group

membership based on a shared sense of identity

May be based on the perception of shared history, territory, language, religion, or a combination of these

May experience discrimination based on ethnicity In extreme cases may experience

ethnocide = the annihilation of the culture of an ethnic group by a dominant group


Gender and Sexism Gender inequalities are based on perceived

differences between people born male or female or somewhere in between

Varies cross culturally Patriarchy – male dominance in economic,

political, social, and ideological domains Common but not universal cross culturally Varies in severity and results

Honor killings are an extreme case Killing a woman whose behavior dishonors her family Legal in Jordon, Morocco, Haiti Have been known to occur in other countries as well -

Bangladesh, Great Britain, Brazil, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Israel, Italy, Pakistan, Sweden, Turkey, and Uganda


Honor Killing Example 17 year old Kurdish girl killed in Iraq She was Yazidi religion and she dated a

Moslem http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/0

5/18/iraq.honorkilling/index.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rgSH0h

45Eo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVIopgK0XGE


Gender and Sexism Matriarchy – female dominance in

economic, political, social, and ideological domains Much more rare

Found among the pre-colonial Iroquois Minangkabau


Caste System The caste system is a social stratification

system linked with Hinduism and based on a person’s birth into a particular group Is an ascribed system Most associated with India Divided into four varnas (their term for their

major social categories) Brahmans - priests Kshatriya - warriors Vaishya - merchants Shudras – laborers

Within each of these varnas are hundreds of locally named social categories called castes


Caste System There is a fifth group of people called the dalits,

or untouchables. There are about 150 million dalits living in India today Are the lowest grouping Sometimes placed outside the varnas system because

they are seen as not even being human Discrimination based on caste is illegal in the Indian

constitution, but in practice discrimination persists Dalits can’t own land Relegated to being sweepers, toilet cleaners, working in

slaughter houses, etc. Have very limited opportunities for education Have very limited opportunities for advancement

May advance if lucky enough to be able to migrate, somehow obtain an education, “marry up”


India’s Varna System: Basic of the Caste/Jati System


Brahmin priests of India


Civil Society Civil society consists of diverse interest groups

that function outside the government to organize economic, political, and other aspects of life Can support the state

The Chinese Women’s Movement Can opposed the state

Citizens’ rights groups Activist groups

Are formed with the goal of protesting certain conditions such as political repression or human rights violations

example: CO-MADRES – the Committee of Mothers and Relatives of Political Prisoners, Disappeared and Assassinated of El Salvador

Formed in 1977 – protests government treatments of prisoners and assassinations and focuses on holding the state accountable for human rights violations during the civil El Salvador war


New Social Movements New social movements refers to activist

groups of the late 20th and early 21st century Often formed by oppressed minorities

Indigenous peoples Ethnic groups Women Poor

Many use cybertechnology to involve networks wider than their immediate social group Use cybernetworking to…

Broaden their membership Exchange ideas Raise funds


New Social Movements http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0330-bra

zil.html “Brazil will offer free satellite Internet connections to

indigenous tribes in the Amazon according to a report from Reuters. It says that the plan will help reduce illegal logging by enabling natives to monitor and report on illicit activities.”

March 30, 2007



The BIG Questions Revisited

What is the range of cross-cultural variation of social groups?

What is social stratification, and what are its effects on people?

What is civil society?


Example of ethnic discrimination: The Roma of Eastern Europe


Example of Bangladesh: indigenous social groups are rare, but micro-credit lending groups are thriving

Date post:	01-Jan-2016
Category:	Documents
Upload:	joan-jarvis
View:	60 times
Download:	7 times

Social Groups and Social Stratification (Miller Chapter 7)

Documents