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STRATIFICATION AND CULTURE:Social Ranking, Dimensions of Inequality

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Introduction to Cultural Anthropology ­ SOC401
VU
Lesson 20
STRATIFICATION AND CULTURE
Stratification and its Manifestations
Individuals in different cultures and societies have varying amounts of access to wealth, power and prestige
This evident inequality leads to stratification, whereby groups or categories of people are ranked
hierarchically relative to one another
Social Ranking
Social ranking is an important feature found to one degree or another in all societies
The degree to which societies rank individuals however varies and results in varying amounts of inequality
to be found in the world
Dimensions of Inequality
According to Max Weber, stratification takes place on the basis of three reasons
People are distinguished from each other on the basis of wealth or economic resources they posses
Secondly, stratification takes place on the basis of differing levels of power
Power is the ability to achieve one's goals and objectives, even against the will of others. The amount of
power often correlates to amount of wealth individuals possess.
Types of Societies
Stratified societies, which are associated with the rise of civilization, range from open class societies,
which permit high social mobility, to more rigid caste societies, which allow for little or no social mobility
Class societies are associated with achieved status, the positions that the individual can choose or at least
have some control over.
Caste societies, on the other hand, are based on ascribed statuses into which one is born and cannot
change.
The United States is often cited as a prime example of a class society with maximum mobility Although its
national credo includes a belief in the possibility of going from rags to riches, most people in the United
States remain in the class into which they are born because social environment has an appreciable effect on
a person's life chances.
The mobility in less developed countries is even more restricted. Hindu India is often cited as the most
extreme form of caste society found in the world. Social boundaries among castes are strictly maintained by
caste endogamy and strongly held notions of ritual purity and pollution.
Useful Terms
Inequality: unevenness
Purity: cleanliness
Pollution: environmental degradation or physical corruption/deterioration
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Introduction to Cultural Anthropology ­ SOC401
VU
Social mobility: ability to change one's status
Ritual: a social routine
Suggested Readings
Students are advised to read the following chapters to develop a better understanding of the various
principals highlighted in this hand-out:
Chapter 13 in `Cultural Anthropology: An Applied Perspective' by Ferrarro and/or Chapter 18 in `Anthropology' by
Ember and Pergrine
Internet Resources
In addition to reading from the textbook, please visit the following web-pages for this lecture, which
provide useful and interesting information:
Stratification
www.soci.canterbury.ac.nz/ resources/glossary/socialst.shtml
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Table of Contents:
  1. WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?:Cultural Anthropology, Internet Resources
  2. THE CONCEPT OF CULTURE AND THE APPLICATION OF CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
  3. MAJOR THEORIES IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY:Diffusionism
  4. GROWTH OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL THEORY (continued):Post Modernism
  5. METHODS IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY:Comments on Fieldwork
  6. METHODS IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY (continued):Census Taking
  7. COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION AND CONSUMPTION IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD
  8. ECONOMIC ANTHROPOLOGY (continued):THE DISTRIBUTION OF GOODS AND SERVICES
  9. FOCUSING ON LANGUAGE:Languages of the World, Structure of Language
  10. FOCUS ON LANGUAGE (continued):Levels of Complexity, Cultural Emphasis
  11. OBTAINING FOOD IN DIFFERENT CULTURES:Optimal Foraging, Suggested Readings
  12. FOOD AND CULTURE (continued):Food Collectors, Food Production
  13. OBTAINING FOOD IN DIFFERENT CULTURE (continued):Pastoralism, Agriculture
  14. RELEVANCE OF KINSHIP AND DESCENT:Kinship Criteria, Rules of Descent
  15. KINSHIP AND DESCENT (continued):Tracing Descent, Primary Kinship Systems
  16. THE ROLE OF FAMILY AND MARRIAGE IN CULTURE:Economic Aspect of Marriage
  17. ROLE OF FAMILY AND MARRIAGE IN CULTURE (continued):Family Structures
  18. GENDER AND CULTURE:Gender Stratification, Suggested Readings
  19. GENDER ROLES IN CULTURE (continued):Women Employment, Feminization of Poverty
  20. STRATIFICATION AND CULTURE:Social Ranking, Dimensions of Inequality
  21. THEORIES OF STRATIFICATION (continued):The Functionalists, Conflict Theorists
  22. CULTURE AND CHANGE:Inventions, Diffusion, Donor, Conventional
  23. CULTURE AND CHANGE (continued):Cultural Interrelations, Reaction to Change
  24. CULTURE AND CHANGE (continued):Planned Change, Globalization
  25. POLITICAL ORGANIZATION:Bands, Tribal Organizations, Chiefdoms
  26. POLITICAL ORGANIZATION (continued):State Systems, Nation-States
  27. POLITICAL ORGANIZATION (continued):Social Norms, Informal Mechanisms
  28. PSYCHOLOGY AND CULTURE:Emotional Development, Psychological Universals
  29. PSYCHOLOGY AND CULTURE (continued):Origin of Customs, Personality Types
  30. IDEOLOGY AND CULTURE:Ideology in Everyday Life, Hegemony
  31. IDEOLOGY AND CULTURE (Continued):Political ideologies, Economic Ideology
  32. ASSOCIATIONS, CULTURES AND SOCIETIES:Variation in Associations, Age Sets
  33. ASSOCIATIONS, CULTURES AND SOCIETIES (continued):Formation of Associations
  34. RACE, ETHNICITY AND CULTURE:Similarity in Human Adaptations
  35. RACE, ETHNICITY AND CULTURE (continued):Inter-group Relations
  36. CULTURE AND BELIEFS:Social Function of Religion, Politics and Beliefs
  37. LOCAL OR INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE:Changing Definitions of Local Knowledge
  38. LOCAL OR INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE (continued):The Need for Caution
  39. ANTHROPOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT:Influence of Development Notions
  40. ANTHROPOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT (Continued):Contentions in Development
  41. ANTHROPOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT (Continued):Operational
  42. CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY AND ART:Relevance of Art, Art and Politics
  43. CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY AND ART (continued):Art as a Status Symbol
  44. ETHICS IN ANTHROPOLOGY:Ethical Condemnation, Orientalism
  45. RELEVANCE OF CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY:Ensuring Cultural Survival