Part 2 Conflict and Power Conflict and power theory o While functionalists see conflict as temporary and change are more conflict power theorists see conflict as ongoing and change is common o Conflict is a central feature of human societies o Conflict is the engine of change o Inequalities in the distribution of power in society condition all human interactions o Societies are divided into difference groups with difference interests and different amounts of power o Those with power use it to consolidate their positions accumulate more prestige privileges and power to fend off amounts of power o Groups with fundamental differences between engage them engage in o Dominant groups often secure the voluntary compliance of conflict subordinate groups Marx s false consciousness Weber s authority Two strands of conflict power theory o Insights by Karl Marx o Teachings of Max Weber Maxian conflict theory o Societies are called primitive communist a k a hunter gatherer o Society without private property social class or any structures from of inequality o All societies since then have private property members divided into social class with different access to society s resources of privilege power and prestige and so with different interests as a class Dominant and Subordinate Classes o Two classes whose relationship is key to understanding the nature of conflict in society Dominant Class Small elite who own most of wealth and economic resources Most power and prestige Profits most from existing economic and social arrangement Subordinate class Bulk of population who performs most of the labor which creates wealth Owns nothing except ability to work Profits little from existing economic and social arrangement and has a built in motivation to challenge them Class Conflict o D S classes have class interests that are fundamentally opposed to each other i e slaves and slave owners o This leads to class conflict o History D vs S classes Slave owners and slaves Land owners and serfs Capitalists and workers Conflict and Change o Marx class conflict drives social change and revolutions o Old arrangements replaced by new ones o Workers under capitalism will realize exploitation and overthrow capitalist s arrangements and found socialists Communist s society ending exploitation of those who labor by those who don t Dominance and Cultural Power o Why haven t workers overthrown capitalism b c false consciousness o Dominant ideas and values of a society are from the dominant society o We are all socialized to believe the ideas and values serving the Dominant class i e capitalism good for workers and capitalists
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