Soc203 Lecture 1
SOC203 Lecture 1
January 7, 2013
INEQUALITY
1. French peasants before the Revolution: 1789 -- french revolution
2. French lords before the Revolution
- monopolized, concentrated power: economic, religious, political
- the lord made law, held by ideological reasoning from the church
- Tocqueville: why did the French revolution break out despite social conditions being better off than other nations?
- his answer:
- 1) peasants rebelled b/c lords had unrestrained position (social position)
- 2) the problem was not their position: but rather their relative position compared to the ideal position - raised expectations and dissatisfaction (anomie)
3. Inequality is a social fact
- social fact: e.g. Durkheim & suicide rates; constancy means that there is something about society
- inequality is not a feature that can be identified by looking at individuals: to say
- inequality it implies a comparison in the distribution of a social good
4. some main forms of inequality
- social goods comprises all societies
- things that are valued
- some are cultural bound e.g.. N. America & Leisure time (opportunity to do such)
- N. America & wealth
- status
- power
**within societies- there are agreed upon qualities to have**
**sociologists: concerned with the variation in the distribution of resources**
5. Some main sources of inequality
** see above**
- military strength also v. imp
6. Inequality in pre-modern societies:
a. hunter gatherer - a classless society - no real strong differences
- rests on merely hunting and gathering
- generalized reciprocity: no expectation of immediate return; the system under where the food is distributed equally
- subject to a gendered division of labour (men hunt, woman gather) BUT in general, not patriarchal
- gender equality existed
- political equality existed
- economic equality existed
- importance of non accumulating materials contrasted with present day society where one can own an
January 7, 2013
INEQUALITY
1. French peasants before the Revolution: 1789 -- french revolution
2. French lords before the Revolution
- monopolized, concentrated power: economic, religious, political
- the lord made law, held by ideological reasoning from the church
- Tocqueville: why did the French revolution break out despite social conditions being better off than other nations?
- his answer:
- 1) peasants rebelled b/c lords had unrestrained position (social position)
- 2) the problem was not their position: but rather their relative position compared to the ideal position - raised expectations and dissatisfaction (anomie)
3. Inequality is a social fact
- social fact: e.g. Durkheim & suicide rates; constancy means that there is something about society
- inequality is not a feature that can be identified by looking at individuals: to say
- inequality it implies a comparison in the distribution of a social good
4. some main forms of inequality
- social goods comprises all societies
- things that are valued
- some are cultural bound e.g.. N. America & Leisure time (opportunity to do such)
- N. America & wealth
- status
- power
**within societies- there are agreed upon qualities to have**
**sociologists: concerned with the variation in the distribution of resources**
5. Some main sources of inequality
** see above**
- military strength also v. imp
6. Inequality in pre-modern societies:
a. hunter gatherer - a classless society - no real strong differences
- rests on merely hunting and gathering
- generalized reciprocity: no expectation of immediate return; the system under where the food is distributed equally
- subject to a gendered division of labour (men hunt, woman gather) BUT in general, not patriarchal
- gender equality existed
- political equality existed
- economic equality existed
- importance of non accumulating materials contrasted with present day society where one can own an