RCG Theory Flashcards
Acker 2006 – Inequality Regimes
Inequality regimes are the “interlocked practices and processes that result in continuing inequalities in all work orgs.” Claims making and emulation are central to her theory. She proposes inequalities are maintained through local regulations (work requirements, wage decisions, hiring through networks, etc.)
Alon 2009 – Competition, Exclusion, and Adaptation
Alon uses the NLS High School Class of 72, High School and Beyond, and NELS survey to test whether exclusion and adaptation contribute to growing educational inequality from 72 to 92. She finds that adaptation contributed most to inequality, as high SES kids improved their scores while other kids did not. She ends with a simulation to show that adaptation is the greater contributor.
Berger, Fisek, Norman, and Zelditch Jr. 1977 – Status Expectations
Status beliefs influence how people expect others to interact and can influence their perceptions of others in group environments. Berger et al conduct many experiments testing how status influences outcomes at different levels (single, double, triple) and find that higher levels are less conclusive, but status expectations influence perceptions and behavior.
Bourdieu 1986 – Forms of Capital
Cultural, economic, and social. These three forms of capital can be converted into one another, although the conditions of the trade are context specific. Cool example – when marriage choice changed, social circles began to be dictated by parents (social turned to cultural). Transferring economic capital is decreasing in legitimacy, so elites now rely on education.
Chan and Goldthorpe 2007 – Class and Status
Test EGP class schema and ISEI status schema to predict class and status outcomes (unemployment, cultural digestion, etc.) using the British Household Panel Survey. The two are distinct from one another. Then, they use these to predict left vs right and libertarian vs authoritarian. Class predicts left vs right and status predict authoritarian libertarian (but not the other way around).
Collins 1990 – BFT
Intersectionality is the “particular forms of intersecting oppressions.” Matrix of domination refers to “how these intersecting oppressions are organized.” Controlling images: mammies, matriarchs, welfare queens, and jezebels. Matrices of domination have four axes: structural, disciplinary, hegemonic, and interpersonal. Structural organizes oppression, disciplinary manages it, hegemonic justifies it, and interpersonal influences everyday lived experience and individual consciousness that ensures.
Davis and Moore 1945 – Principles of Strat
Stratification is necessary to motivate high-skilled workers and reward them for sacrifice in training. Reward is based on supply and demand. Wealth disruption can disrupt this balance, however.
Goode 1960 – Role Strain theory
Society is developed and maintained through an elaborate series of role conflicts. Roles by definition require our time and resources, so we must constantly balance the demands of competing roles and this balance is what creates society. We constantly bargain with others to reduce role strain. Role can be informal or institutionalized, but institutionalized are backed up by 3rd parties.
Lamont and Molnár 2002 – Boundaries in the Social Science
Two types of boundaries: Symbolic and Social. Sumbolic boundaries enforce, maintain, normalize, or rationalize social boundaries. Symbolic boundaries may be employed to contest and reframe social boundaries. There are cultural differences in understood boundaries. Symbolic boundaries may become so salient that they take the place of social boundaries. Boundaries also contain properties (permeability, salience, durability, and visibility). Mechanisms include activation, maintenance, transposition, and dispute bridging.
Lareau and Weininger 2003 – Cultural Capital
Cultural capital has often been misused in educational research. Rather than just cultural knowledge or the ability to read, it must be estimated considering the skills valued by an institution or the valued competencies. The authors review existing work and offer a brief vignette on how it should be used.
Lucas 2009 – Educational inequality theories
Three theories are discussed: MMI, EMI, and relative risk aversion (RRA). Lucas offers mathematical proofs arguing that MMI isn’t a theory bc it’s unprovable (that “saturation” could ever occur). EMI and RRA are possible and could support one another. EMI says inequality is never reduced.
Ridgeway and Correll 2006 – Consensus and Status Beliefs
Status construction theory – first, second, and third order status beliefs. The first is individual’s own, the second is the group’s, and the third is the generalized other. Conduct an experiment with clear status hierarchies and test action by support or challenging hierarchy by a group member. When group members challenge hierarchy, people gain confidence, and peers aren’t docked for “considerateness” as much. W/o, people tend to follow the hierarchy. People give low-status people more credit for deference.
Ridgeway and Kricheli-Katz 2013 – Intersectional theory of interaction
How do interactions support and maintain status hierarchies? Depends on salience (effective in roles or juxtaposing in groups). Prototypical (hegemonic) categories are always compared to. They show the example of marriage rates, black men tend to marry white or Asian women. Asian men are seen as less masculine. Gay black men receive less discrimination than gay white men.
Roscigno 2011 – Power
Proposes emulation and relational theories of power in organizations. Symbolic vilification is where less powerful actors are discursively deemed as less worthy, problematic or in some regard dangerous (adaptation). Symbolic amplification involves discursive processes that imbue and elevate certain elements of cultural and institutional life to a place of sacred reverence.
Tilly 1999 – Durable inequality
Organizations develop categorical types as a system of inequality. This functions through exploitation, opportunity hoarding, emulation, and adaptation. The last two support the former. Opportunity hoarding and exploitation install categorical boundaries, while emulation and adaptation support those policies.
