Stratification

Social Groups
What is a social group?
A cluster of people beyond the domestic unit who
are usually related to each other on grounds
other than kinship
Varieties of Social Groups
Friendship
Clubs and fraternities
Countercultural groups
Cooperatives

Two Kinds of Social Groups
Primary social group: People who interact with each
other and know each other personally

Secondary social group: People who identify with
each other on some basis but who may never meet
each other or know each other personally
Other Characteristics
Degrees of formality/informality:
Vary depending on a number of socially prescribed factors
(age, rank, gender, etc)

Connections to modes of livelihood:
Foragers have fewer forms of social groups than other modes
Industrial/informatic societies have a wide variety, perhaps
compensating for less important role of kinship
Modes of Livelihood and Social Groups
Friendship
What is friendship?
Close social ties between at least two people, usually
informal, voluntary, and involving face-to-face
interaction (except for new forms of friendship through
Facebook, etc.)
Friendship
Usually between
social equals
Related to
microcultural
factors such as
gender, age,
class, ethnicity,
and institutions
Maintained
through balanced
exchange
May contribute to
economic security
Everyday Anthropology:
Making Friends
Andalucia, southern Spain
Mens and womens work roles shape their friendship patterns
For men, an amigo is a casual friend and this friendship is
maintained in bars
An amigo(a) del verdad is a true friend
Men have more true friends than women do
What categories of friends do you have? Are friends in some
categories closer or truer than others? What is the basis
of close friendship?
Clubs and Fraternities
Definition: Social groups that define membership in
terms of a sense of shared identity and objectives
Often include people of same ethnic/cultural
heritage
Provide social and psychological support to members
but have political and economic functions, too
(connections, networking, jobs)

Male
Friendship
among the
Urban Poor of
Guyana:
The
Importance of
Sharing
Stories
Fraternities and Sororities
College fraternities and sororities in North America (the
Greek System) are highly selective and serve a variety
of functions, such as entertainment, match-making, and
social service
Often serve to reinforce class and gender norms- not
always positive
Countercultural Groups
Groups formed by people outside the mainstream
who resist conforming to the dominant cultural
pattern
Members desire to be identified with a special group
Youth gangs
Motorcycle clubs
Body modification groups
Youth Gangs
Refers to a group of young people found mainly in urban
areas
Often considered to be a social problem by mainstream
society
Variation in terms of how organized and goals
Most/all have rituals of initiation and symbols of
membership such as clothing, colors, tattoos
Study of U.S. Youth Gangs
Finding that personalities of youth gang members
have five characteristics:
Intense competitiveness
Mistrust of others
Self-reliance
Social isolation
Strong survival instinct
Cooperatives
A form of economic group in which surpluses are shared among
the members

One person, one vote

Agricultural and credit cooperatives the most common forms
worldwide

We have seen a rise in agricultural and housing cooperatives in
the US, but economic cooperatives are changing the lives of the
impoverished- particularly women- around the world.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/10/061013-nobel-peace.html
Example: Farmers Cooperative in Western India
Study of co-ops in the sugar industry in the state of
Maharashtra
Why successful given Indias caste system and social
divisiveness?
Caste system in this region simpler: Marathas are the main
caste
Solidarity across class lines supports efficient use of cane
processing technology
Money goes back in to community
Social Stratification

Social Stratification: results from the relatively permanent
unequal distribution of goods and services in a society
No culture has ever devised a successful means of organizing a
large population without stratification and inequality
The ways this distribution takes place depends on:
Cultural values
The organization of production
The access that different individuals and groups have to the
means for achieving societal goals

Social Stratification

Functionalist perspective: specific cultural institutions
function to support the structure of society or serve the needs of
the individuals in society
Inequality and the promise of economic and social rewards
lead people to engage in difficult, risky jobs, as well as jobs
requiring long and arduous training
Flaw- Not all difficult jobs are prestigious
Family background, gender, ethnicity, race, social connections,
and other factors play important roles in determining the sorts
of opportunities available to individuals
Although social stratification may be of some benefit, it is also
a source of conflict and instability
Social Stratification
Conflict theory: social stratification is a result of the struggle
for scarce goods and services (Karl Marx)
Inequalities exist because individuals and groups who have
acquired power, wealth, and prestige use their assets and their
power to maintain control
Focusing on conflict enables us to understand some of the
hidden motivations of social actors and to access institutions by
their outcomes, as well as their stated intentions
Conflict theorists may sometimes ignore the very real
mechanisms that promote solidarity across caste, ethnic, and
class lines

Criteria of Stratification
The social stratification system of any society depends on a
complex interaction of the three main dimensions of stratification:
Power: the ability to control resources in ones own interest
Analyze the sources, channels and goals of power in each culture
Wealth: the accumulation of material resources or access to the
means of producing these resources
Not all wealth is a source of prestige
Prestige: social honor or respect
Ascribed Status: social position into which a person is
born. (sex, race, kinship group)
Achieved Status: social position that a person chooses or achieves
(professor, criminal, artist)
Stratification systems
Class system- a form of social stratification in which the
different strata form a continuum and social mobility is
possible
Class: a category of persons who all have about the same
opportunity to obtain economic resources, power, and prestige
and who are ranked relative to other categories
Closed system- A system of stratification based primarily
on ascription (caste system)
Open system- A system of stratification based primarily
on achievement



Social Class in the United States

The U.S. is said to have an open class system
Status depends on occupation, education, and lifestyle
The American Dream, is based on the democratic principle of
equality and opportunity for all
However:
educational achievement, levels of indebtedness, income, and wealth
accumulation are linked to class, race and ethnicity, and also social
mobility
Studies show moving out of poverty or the working class is likely to take
five generations

Poverty often perpetuates itself through generations


Social Mobility
Social Mobility: movement from one social strata to
another
Factors that effect social mobility include:
Life chances:
Opportunities people have to fulfill their potential in society
chance of survival and longevity
opportunities to obtain an education
opportunities to participate in cultural life
opportunities to live in comfort and security

Social Classes as Subcultures
Many studies demonstrate that social class correlates with
differences in attitudes, behavior, lifestyle, and values
A social class has aspects of a subculture:
Members tend to share similar:
life experiences
occupational roles
values
educational backgrounds
affiliations
leisure activities
buying habits
religious affiliation and political views
Race: A Cultural Construction
Race is a culturally constructed category based on
perceived physical differences
Racial stratification:
Occurs in societies with different culturally-constructed views
of race:
In the US this is defined as binary opposition between black
and white
Apartheid in South Africa: system of exclusive racial
groups black, white, colored, and Asian that were
formally segregated and treated differently in law and life

Race as Ascribed and Scientifically Invalid
We conclude that the concept of race has no
validity as a biological category in the human
species. Because it homogenizes widely varying
individuals, it impedes research and understanding
of the true nature of human biological variations.
American Anthropological Associations Statement on Race,
1996
Ethnicity
Sense of group membership based on a shared sense
of identity
Shared history
Territory
Language
Religion
Or combination of the above
Diaspora population: A dispersed group living
outside their original homeland
Culturama:
The Roma of Eastern Europe
Also known by the derogatory term Gypsies
Europes largest minority population (7 9 million)
Roma are 10 percent of the population of Eastern Europe
History of mobility and marginality
Settled Roma live in marginalized areas that lack decent
housing
In different countries, the status and living conditions of
Roma vary
Situation in Slovakia is among the worst
One-third of Roma live in osada, ghetto-like enclaves with
poor housing, sanitation, and schools

Roma Population
in Eastern Europe

Largest Numbers
in Romania,
Bulgaria,
Macedonia, and
Slovakia
Caste
Social stratification system linked with Hinduism
Based on a persons birth into a particular group
Varnas: 4 major social categories
Please see video link in Week 7
Indias Varna System: Classification
Underlying the Caste/Jati System
Civil Society
Diverse interest groups outside the government that
organize aspects of life, and often work on behalf of
underrepresented groups

Variation in terms of how free from government they
actually are
Case in China of the Chinese Womens Movement; overseen by
the government, so not truly civil society

http://www.civilsoc.org/whatisCS.htm