Chapter 11 -- class -- Norton August.pdf
上传人:yy****24 上传时间:2024-09-09 格式:PDF 页数:7 大小:43KB 金币:18 举报 版权申诉
预览加载中,请您耐心等待几秒...

Chapter 11 -- class -- Norton August.pdf

Chapter11--class--NortonAugust.pdf

预览

在线预览结束,喜欢就下载吧,查找使用更方便

18 金币

下载此文档

如果您无法下载资料,请参考说明:

1、部分资料下载需要金币,请确保您的账户上有足够的金币

2、已购买过的文档,再次下载不重复扣费

3、资料包下载后请先用软件解压,在使用对应软件打开

CHAPTER11CLASSFinalDraftAugust2009Inthepreviouschapterweexploredthemoralquestionofwhatitmeanstosaythataninequalityisunfair.Inthischapterwewillexaminetheproblemofalternativewaysofthinkingsociologicallyaboutonedomainofinequality–class.InthefollowingchapterswewillexploretheempiricalproblemofinequalityinAmericaandhowithaschangedovertime.“Class”,likemanyconceptsinsociology,isahotlycontestedidea.Thereisnotevenanagreed-upondefinitionof“class”,letaloneaconsensusonthebesttheoryofclass.Allapproachestoclassseeclassasawayofthinkingabouteconomicinequalities,buttheyusetheword“class”inverydifferentways.1Thevariousapproachestoclassamongsociologistsfallintothreebroadcategories.Thefirstidentifiesclasswiththeattributesandmaterialconditionsoflifeofindividuals.Thesecondseesclassasmainlyaboutthewaysinwhichsocialpositionsgivesomepeoplecontrolovereconomicallyvaluedresourcesofvarioussortswhileexcludingothersfromaccesstothoseresources.Andthethirdseesclassas,aboveall,involvingthewaysinwhicheconomicpositionsgivesomepeoplecontroloverthelivesandactivitiesofothers.Wecancallthesethreeapproachestheindividualattributesapproachtoclass,theopportunity-hoardingapproach,andthedominationandexploitationapproach.ClassasindividualattributesandmaterialconditionsoflifeBothforsociologistsandthelaypublic,theprinciplewaythatmostpeopleunderstandtheconceptofclassisintermsofindividualattributesandlifeconditions.Peoplehaveallsortsofattributesincludingsuchthingsassex,age,race,religion,intelligence,education,geographicallocation,andsoon.Someoftheseattributestheyhavefrombirth,sometheyacquirebutonceacquiredareverystable,andsomearequitedependentuponaperson’sspecificsocialsituationatanygivenpointintimeandmayaccordinglychange.Theseattributesareconsequentialforvariousthingswemightwanttoexplain,fromhealthtovotingbehaviortochildrearingpracticestoincomeandwealth.Peoplealsocanbecharacterizedbythematerialconditionsinwhichtheylive:squalidapartments,pleasanthousesinthesuburbs,ormansionsingatedcommu