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What does Gaventa have to say about the relationship between taxes and power in Appalachia? (1)
low tax rates on mineral land demonstrates political/social power of the capitalist class
What does Gaventa have to say about the relationship between taxes and power in Appalachia? (2)
those with power often don't have to pay taxes
In the US, what socioeconomic changes characterized the period after WWII? (1)
huge increase in job opportunities due to the necessity of a larger labor force to supply the war
In the US, what socioeconomic changes characterized the period after WWII? (2)
the economic position of all americans, including blacks, was improving
In the US, what socioeconomic changes characterized the period after 1970?
blacks were being accepted and started to take roles of leadership (economic polarization); the rich are getting richer, the poor poorer, the middle class is shrinking
What is the methodology of social science? (1)
research, knowledge, & practice
What is the methodology of social science? (2)
system of methods, principles, and rules for regulating a given discipline; counterfactuals are used to help form theories using this methodology
How does Wilson describe the racial caste system? (1)
a system of rigid racial and social stratification that exploited blacks' labor, restricted their freedom, and virtually eliminated any chances for free and open competition for scarce rewards and privileges
How does Wilson describe the racial caste system? (2)
european immigrants met nearly no opposition in labor market while black immigrants faced much opposition in market
What is a counterfactual? (1)
describes what could've happened in a certain situation had the conditions influencing that situation been different
What is a counterfactual? (2)
allow for researchers to compare behavior between similar groups living under different social structures and conditions, as well as examine the cause & effect relationships that lead to the development of these societies
What is the central premise of Wilson's book? (1)
during industrial period, class is the most important determinant of life chances for blacks (race and class still highly correlated, but socioeconomic status is more significant)
What is the central premise of Wilson's book? (2)
the evolving system of class-based discrimination still falls along many of the same dividing lines as the obsolete race-based system of socioeconomic suppression
How has farm production changed historically in the US? (1)
first dominated by plantation slavery and few smaller, family-run farms; during industrial evolution, labor intensive agriculture led way to a more mechanical method of agriculture
How has farm production changed historically in the US? (2)
family production -> production for the market
According to Gaventa, what's the significance of quiescence?
a function of the power of the oppressors; a characteristic of the 3rd dimension of power
What is the 3rd dimension of power? (1)
the manipulation of hopes, needs, & aspirations of subordinate classes; creates a sense of powerlessness
What is the 3rd dimension of power? (2)
makes them think that there's "nothing they can do about it"; makes the powerless people accept and believe the ideologies of the powerful class; suppressed politically and aren't able to participate
What does Gaventa say happened to the National Miners' Union?
folded because (1) false portrayal of union/manipulation by elites thru media, (2) uneasy relationship of religion, and (3) unintended consequences of actions taken by non-local leadership
What is the 2nd dimension of power according to Gaventa?
bias in rules that govern the distribution of resources (voting); elite prevent the powerless from expressing grievances about the situation (mobilization of bias)
What are some examples of Gaventa's 3rd dimension of power?
(1) idea (discourse) that Appalachian culture/miners were "backward" (2) city's schools: names changed from local names to European names (weberian)
What were the push and pull factors for black migration from the South in the post-bellum period?
push: mechanization of agriculture pull: industrialization of north
What was the result of the transition toward plantation agriculture and industrialization? (1)
transformation of individual (family) private property/house hold production into capitalist private propertysome migrated north which had high demand for unskilled labor
What was the result of the transition toward plantation agriculture and industrialization? (2)
some migrated north which had high demand for unskilled labor; tensions between european immigrants and migrating blacks were observed
What did Gaventa say happened when residents tried to express their grievances to the American Association headquarters in London?
(1) lack of information in public domain, (2) complexity of organizational structure, and (3) inability to influence shareholders
What is the 1st dimension power according to Gaventa?
proposition that power is defined by winners and losers in observable areas of competition
What comparisons might we draw from readings between development in Appalachia and in the post-bellum South?
(1) economic inequality is high  (2) concentration of rural poverty is highest
How did the capitalist class initially gain power in Appalachia?
land and a lack of opposition; allowed them to access/control the coal reserves and limit the ability of the citizens to farm; money derived from the natural resources on the land eventually led to political power
What does the term "structural mobility" refer to? (1)
a time period when upward mobility exceeds downward mobility, caused by increasing net opportunity over time
What does the term "structural mobility" refer to? (2)
notably occurred from 1945-1970; following this period, there was a period in which upward and downward mobility were in balance (exchange mobility)
What are the characteristics of industrialization? (1)
(1) mechanization of production (2) development of a labor market
What are the characteristics of industrialization? (2)
(3) higher concentration of ownership of means of production (4) failed to reduce poverty--perpetuated white underclass
What were the causes of race riots during the period 1910-1920?
competition over jobs, competition over urban space, and white resentment towards black strike breakers
How did union legislation signed by President FDR affect race relations?
various congressional acts (e.g. 1935 wagner act) signed into law; these laws supported efforts at union organizing
Why did urban politics in North fail to mitigate racism?
political machines in north excluded blacks who didn't get access to patronage jobs and city contracts; jim crow exclusion of blacks in south was extra legal
Wilson Ch.4 Summary (1)
technology liberated sharecroppers from rural toil (e.g., picking cotton), and domestic workers from household labor
Wilson Ch.4 Summary (2)
new forms of racial exclusion and discrimination developed in cities & in industry
Wilson Ch.4 Summary (3)
racial exclusion starts to transform within context of "modern industrial" development
Wilson's Theory of Development: Race & Class
his views fail to fully account for increased class inequality post-1970 (e.g. evidence for racial bias within criminal justice practices "the new jim crow" described by michelle alexander)
Dubois' Theory of Development: Race & Class (1)
stresses class as the fundamental cause of race, and race as the mechanism that sustains class inequality (based on elite manipulation of southern politics, rendering social reform)
Dubois' Theory of Development: Race & Class (2)
rising class inequality necessitates strengthening this mechanism (e.g. the recent supreme court decision nullifying enforcement of the federal voting rights act)
What are the assumptions of pluralism (or 1st power dimension)? (1)
all people can effectively air their grievances politically; it is in the interests of the powerless to fight inequality--however the poor may believe this is wasting their time
What are the assumptions of pluralism (or 1st power dimension)? (2)
they may also believe that things are as good as they can be; compromise within the law--that law and politics are unbiased
In what sense does pluralism "blame the victim"?
because law and politics are unbiased, and everyone has access to the law and poliitcs, they should be able to improve their situation; if they don't, there is something wrong with the "deprived group"
Gaventa's Theory
(1) power determined by winners & losers in the observable political process (pluralism) (2) power determined by who makes the rules within the formal & informal political process (3) power determined by elite influence over hopes and desires of the dominated classes, "engineering of co…
Illustrating the Logic of Power
1st dimension: A has power over B by winning elections 2nd dimension: A has power over B by making election outcomes depend on money (excluding poor from political influence) 3rd dimension: A has power over B by making B think that current democratic practices are best for everyone (alt…
Methodological Technique: Counterfactuals in Time and Space
(1) history--did the powerful achieve power thru consensual means, or not (2) power in relation to contingencies (e.g., voting), often difference across space (3) observe challenges to power to determining whether consensual, or not
Pablo Freire
(1) "conscriousness is constituted in the dialect of man's objectification and action upon the world" (2) powerless are dependent, develop a culture of silence
Antonio Gramsci
captialists attain cultural hegemony over society by training intellectual elites, placing them in strategic positions (related to marx's ruling ideas)
Interpreting Gaventa from Weberian Perspective
development related to diffusion of ideas by elites, including how to gain and hold onto power
Interpreting Gaventa from Marxian Perspective
development related to the means of production, and social relations built around those means of production, including power relations
Weber (1)
cultural symbols and generalization used by coal companies to build community consensus to discourage unionization
Weber (2)
"backward" mountaineers uplifted by industrial progress & industrial work ethic
Marx (1)
industrialization/creating of labor market is foundation for development of capitalism
Marx (2)
(racialization)/cultural marginalization of white farmers reflects corporate power to sustain exploitation of labor & natural resources across generations of appalachians
Plantation South (1)
elite power: all 3 dimensions direct producers: slaves investors: mostly US/some European
Central Appalachia (1)
elite power: all 3 dimensions direct producers: miners/workers investors: british/US
Plantation South (2)
disposition of profits: US industrialization, british textile industries social inequality: high
Central Appalachia (2)
disposition of profits: back to great britain and elsewhere social inequality: high

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