Conflict Theory

Estranged Labour
 The worker, under capitalism, is “the most wretched
of commodities,” (p. 30). A commodity is a thing
that can be bought and sold.
 The more important a worker’s labour is, the less
power she has.
 So, for instance, we live in a society that loves
clothes very much and which offers fairly cheap
clothes to all. Clothing is important to our survival,
and it also important to our culture.
 But the makers of our clothing are often sweatshop
workers in foreign countries who make almost
nothing for this important work.
 Ever felt like a commodity in your job?
Estranged Labour
 The worker is “estranged” (or alienated) in
many ways.
 First, the worker is alienated from what he
produces.
 Second, the worker is alienated from her labor,
from the act of production.
 Third, the worker is alienated from nature.
 Fourth, the worker is alienated from himself,
including his body and his emotions.
 Once alienated, these four things—the
product, the labor, nature, and the worker
herself—become the property of the
capitalist (the owner of the business).
 Can you illustrate this with your own
experiences?
Class Struggle
“The history of all hitherto existing
society is the history of class
struggles” (p. 37).
 Marx is the founder of what is
known as Conflict Theory, which
argues that the best way to
understand society is to examine
conflicts for power and resources
within society.
 A Framework for Comparing Theoretical
Approaches
Structur- Function- Class Inter- Racial Feminist Queer Inter- Social Self
alism alism Conflict pretive Conflict Theory sectional

Focus of How Purpose of Economics Systems of Racial Gender Sexuality; Comb- Social
Explan- society is every social Meaning hierarchy social ination of Psychology
ation organized; institution boundaries; race, class,
resources mainstream gender,
and schema sexuality,
etc.

Implication Neutral Power Ruling Hegemony White Patriarchy Dispersed Matrix of Agency
for Power important class, supremacy; Domination
for social bourgeoisie racial
cohesion and dictatorship
capitalists
Key What are What need Who rules? What are What does Relative Who is How do Relation-
Questions the norms, is served by How is the beliefs race mean? positions of treated as different ship
goals, and institutions strat- and values How is it men and ‘other’? hierarchies between the
means? ification of a society organized women, How do the work hand individual
reproduced meanings marginalize in hand to and society;
of gender d find oppress how do
power some and social exp.
privilege Create
others identity
 Structuralism Functionalism Class Conflict

Focus of How society is Purpose of Economics

Explanation organized; every social
resources and institution
schema
Implication for Neutral Power Ruling class,
Power important for bourgeoisie
social cohesion and capitalists
Key Questions What are the What need is Who rules?
norms, goals, served by How is
and means? institutions stratification
reproduced?
 Class Struggle
According to Marx, world history can be summarized into
6 epochs, 2 of which still lie in the future:
 Primitive Communism—No class divisions. People
produce goods from nature and then trade them
with each other.
 Slavery—A small few rise to power with military
might. They become the elite and the rest of
society is treated as their slaves.
 Feudalism—Slaves are replaced by serfs, quasi-
independent workers who are beholden to a lord.
 Modern Capitalism—Serfs are replaced by laborers
in factory production (the proletariat) and lords are
replaced by business owners (capitalists, or the
bourgeoisie).
 Socialism—the workers take control of society and
oppress the bourgeoisie. Factories are shared by
those who work in them.
 Communism—Class distinctions are lost and both
production and politics are equally shared across
society.
Class Struggle

 Marx focused on 2 class groups

under capitalism
 The Proletariat: the worker who is
estranged from her work
 The Bourgeoisie: the owner of the
factory or business
 Although a middle class was already
developing in Marx’s day, Marx
thought they would be pulled down
into the proletariat.
 What might Marx say about the
middle class today?
Class Struggle
 Marx reasoned that as capitalism grew, it
would spread across the world and make
for an ever-larger working class.
 In the space of the factory floor, this
massive group of laborers would develop a
class consciousness—a sense of shared
identity and a unity of purpose.
 He believed this class consciousness
would be radical and politically motivating
 Eventually, it would lead to a revolution
against the bourgeoisie, and capitalism
would be replaced with socialism.
Poverty
Poverty
 The official poverty rate in 2008 was 13.2
percent, up from 12.5 percent in 2007. This
was the first statistically significant annual
increase in the poverty rate since 2004,
when poverty increased to 12.7 percent
from 12.5 percent in 2003.
 In 2008, 39.8 million people were in
poverty, up from 37.3 million in 2007 -- the
second consecutive annual increase in the
number of people in poverty.
Poverty
 In 2008, the poverty rate increased for non-
Hispanic Whites (8.6 percent in 2008 -- up
from 8.2 percent in 2007), Asians (11.8
percent in 2008 -- up from 10.2 percent in
2007) and Hispanics (23.2 percent in 2008
-- up from 21.5 percent in 2007). Poverty
rates in 2008 were statistically unchanged
for Blacks (24.7 percent).
 The poverty rate in 2008 (13.2 percent)
was the highest poverty rate since 1997
but was 9.2 percentage points lower than
in 1959, the first year for which poverty
estimates are available.
Poverty
 Since 1960, the number of people below poverty
has not exceeded the 2008 figure of 39.8 million
people
 The poverty rate increased for children under 18
years old (19.0 percent in 2008 -- up from 18.0
percent in 2007) and people 18 to 64 years old
(11.7 percent in 2008 -- up from 10.9 percent in
2007), while it remained statistically unchanged for
people 65 years and over (9.7 percent).
 The Poverty Line
 This is the instrument by which poverty is identified
and measured
 Does not vary by region of the US, type of residency
(urban, suburban, rural) or any other variable that can
affect cost-of-living
 Available online at:
 http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/threshld/thres
h08.html
DuBois—On Labor, Economics,
and Politics
 Group Assignments
 Each group is assigned two sections
 I’m going to give you a theory for the
first section
 I want you to devise a theory for the
second section
 But your group is responsible for
explaining both theories
DuBois—On Labor, Economics,
and Politics
 Group 1 (sec. 1 and 8)—1: Domestic service is a tool
of racism and race is a tool of class inequality. 8: ?
 Group 2 (sec. 2 and 9)—2: Social agitators are
important agents of social change. 9: ?
 Group 3 (sec. 3 and 10)—3: Rules on who can vote
and who can lead will always be a barrier to
democracy. 10: ?
 Group 4 (sec. 4 and 11)—4: Providing jobs and wages
is no more an act of charity or service than providing
labor and goods. 11:?
 Group 5 (sec. 5 and 12)—5: Capitalism (the modern
economy) is a barrier to democracy that privileges
money-making over public service, beauty and truth.
12:?
 Group 6 (sec. 6 and 13)—6: Unemployment is less a
result of individual failures and more a result of social
structure. 13:?
 Group 7 (sec. 7 and 14)—7: Widely shared public
goods should be publicly owned (not private
corporations). 14:?