Chapter 7 Textbook Flashcards
modern sociology
evolved from the writings of eighteenth-century economists such as Adam Smith and Thomas Malthus
Thomas Malthus
- predicted that dramatic population growth would inevitably lead to a scarcity of food and other resources
- warned that famine, disease, and war would “naturally” limit population growth unless other measures, including birth control and celibacy, were adopted
Friedrich Engles
helped Karl Marx write the communist manifesto
Karl Marx (2 more classes)
- petty/petite bourgeoisie (small businesses) and lumpenproletariat
corporate (organic) identity (Marx)
there is a shared sense of purpose among members of each class
class consciousness
means having an awareness of what is in the best interests of one’s class
highland clearance
landowners were evicted because the bourgeoisie wanted to harvest sheep wool
false consciousness
believe that something is in its best interest when it is not
proletariat false consciousness kept them from waging an open revolt against a system that was not working in their favour
prestige, wealth, and power
- prestige is the degree of respect with which individuals, their socially values possessions, and their master statuses are viewed by the majority of people in society
- prestige can be turned into various forms of social power
- social power is the ability of individuals or groups to achieve their goals despite the opposition of others
problem with Marx’s class in Canada
majority of Canadians would belong to Marx’s “workers” class, even though their incomes put them in the top 1% (which is considered bourgeoisie)
problem with Marx’s class in Canada
majority of Canadians would belong to Marx’s “workers” class, even though their incomes put them in the top 1% (which is considered bourgeoisie)
dominant capitalist class (Curtis, Grabb, and Guppy)
composed mainly of those who own or control large-scale production
middle class (Curtis, Grabb, and Guppy)
a mixed middle category of small-scale business people, educated professional-technical or administrative personnel, and various salaried employees or wage earners possessing some certifiable credentials, training, or skills”
working-class/proletariat (Curtis, Grabb, and Guppy)
made up of people who lack resources or capacities apart from their own labour power
mobility sports
sports that offer people from poorer backgrounds the chance to reap large financial rewards as professional athletes
professionalization
the rise in the cost of mobility sports (i.e. hockey)
stratum
a group to which people belong depending on their level of income, education, or another social variable
strata
used as units of analysis in stratified sampling, a research method in which equal samples are drawn from each stratum of the population instead of drawing one larger sample at random from the whole population
quintile
a segment, or stratum, representing each of five equal groups into which the population is divided; each quintile represents 20% of the population
family’s total net worth
what it has left once the value of its liabilities (such as debt) has been deducted from the value of its assets (mostly real estate and savings)
how do you find income inequality?
ratio of wealth controlled by families in the highest and lower quintiles
purchasing power
value of your wealth based on the cost of living in your city, town, village, etc
ideology
set of beliefs about society & the people in it, usually forming the basis of a particular economic or political theory
