REVIEW
– OCTOBER 09
SOCIAL JUSTICE STUDIES:
THEORY, ANALYSIS, PRACTICE
SYNOPSIS AND GENERAL OVERVIEW: THE FIRST SECTION OF THE COURSE HAS BEEN DIVIDED INTO FIVE SUBJECT AREAS: (1) THE SYSTEMATIC AND ANALYTIC STUDY OF SOCIETY (2) THE NATURE OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
[MEASUREMENT TOOLS]; (3) THE SOCIOLOGY OF CULTURE; (4) THE STUDY OF SOCIAL
INEQUALITY [DOMINANT-SUBDOMINANT INTERACTION], AND (5) ETHNICITY AND RACE AS SOCIAL CONSTUCTS AND STATUS SYSTEMS[{AND BASIS OF} THE RACIALIZATION, STIGMATIZATON AND MARGINALIZATION PROCESS].
THE SOCIOLOGICAL KEY è CULTURAL DYNAMICS CREATE SOCIAL
INEQUALITY è POWER TURNS
INEQUALITY INTO SOCIAL STRATIFICATION SYSTEMS è IDEOLOGY MAKES
SYSTEMS OF STRATIFICATION APPEAR NORMAL AND LEGITIMATE.
THE
LEARNING OBJECTIVES èTO UNDERSTAND THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL STRATIFICATION, SOCIAL INEQUALITY, CULTURE AND
SOCIAL PROBLEMS.
(I) SOCIAL STRATIFICATION IS
A MANIFESTATION OF THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF SOCIETY{HOW
SOCIETY WORKS}.
(II) SOCIAL INEQUALITY IS A
MANIFESTATION OF SOCIETY'S SOCIAL STRATIFICATION SYSTEM(S).
(III) ETHINICTY, RACE, GENDER, AND CLASS ARE MANIFESTATIONS OF
SOCIAL INEQUALITY IN SOCIETY.
(IV) SOCIAL PROBLEMS ARE MANIFESTATIONS OF ETHINICTY,
RACE, GENDER, AND CLASS RELATIONS AND DYNAMICS
PART I --- THE
SYSTEMATIC AND ANALYTIC STUDY OF
SOCIETY
WE STARTED THE COURSE BY
EXAMINING SOCRATES VERSION OF AN IDEAL SOCIETY è “AS A SOCIETY BASED ON JUSTICE AND REASON”
1) [IN OTHER WORDS] HE ISSUED
THE CALL IN THE WEST TO
“RATIONAL INQUIRY”
ABOUT HOW PEOPLE SHOULD LIVE TOGETHER IN SOCIETY.
[SO] FIRST, SOCRATES LEGACY
IN TERMS OF THE WESTERN INTELLECTUAL TRADITION WAS TO LAUNCH THE “SYSTEMATIC”
AND “ANALYTIC” STUDY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND INJUSTICE
2) [RELATEDLY] THIS IS A CALL TO “CLEAR-HEADEDNESS” è OR PRECISION AS A VIRTUE è ARTHUR ADKINS – THE QUALITY OF
CLEAR-HEADEDNESS AND COURAGE AS MORAL VALUES OF “UPPER STRATUM” OR
GENTLEMENT è [I INTERPRET CLEAR-HEADEDNESS AS THE PROVINCE OF “REFINED BEING”]
[SO] NEXT WE HAVE SEEN [IN THE ‘REPUBLIC’ AND ELSEWHERE] THAT è SOCRATES CLEAR-HEADEDNESS IS
THAT HE IDENTIFIES JUSTICE AS “TAKING PLACE IN THE RELATIONS BETWEEN PEOPLE”
[I.E. SOCIAL RELATIONS OR GROUP RELATIONS]
è AND JUSTICE [HE SAYS] IS RELATED TO “THE DOCTRINE OF FAIR SHARES.”
[OR WHAT I CALLED THE DOCTRINE OF “EQUITABLE PARTICIPATION”]
FOR SOCRATES THERE IS NO
SEPARATION BETWEEN THE IDEA OF JUSTICE AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF JUSTICE è TO UNDERSTAND JUSTICE WE MUST CONSIDER CONSEQUENCE.
THE COURSE THESIS IS RELATED è SOCIAL
JUSTICE AND INJUSTICE IN CONTEMPORARY CANADIAN
SOCIETY IS REVEALED IN PATTERNS OF INEQUALITY, MANIFESTED PRIMARILY ALONG THE
LINES OF RACE & ETHNICITY, CLASS, AND GENDER
RELATIONS.
THIS
IS THE CALL TO SOCIAL INQUIRY ABOUT “EQUITABLE AND INEQUITABLE GROUP RELATIONS” IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY.
PART II--- THE NATURE OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATIONAND THE STUDY OF SOCIAL
INEQUALITY:
1) THE
STUDY OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
A) EVERY SOCIETY CAN BE DIVIDED INTO LAYERS
OR HIERARCHIES THAT CAN BE RANKED ACCORDING TO CERTAIN CRITERIA IN ASCENDING OR
DESCENDING ORDER. THIS SUGGESTS THAT INEQUALITY IS NOT RANDOM OR FLEETING,
BUT IS PATTERNED AND PREDICTABLE AND TENDS TO CLUSTER AROUND
CERTAIN DEVALUED CATEGORIES RELATED TO RACE OR ETHNICITY}}} === [1]
THE HIERARCHICAL ARRANGEMENT OF SOCIAL STRATA IN A SOCIETY == A
HIERARCHY OF POSITIONS THAT HAVE UNEQUAL PROPERTY, POWER AND PRESTIGE (3PS). [2] SOCIAL
STRATIFICATION AND INEQUALITY REFERS TO
DOMINANT- SUBORDINATE INTERACTION === [3] THE CONCEPT OF A MINORITY AND MAJORITY GROUP DOES NOT REFER TO
“NUMBERS” OR “STATISTICAL PROPORTIONS” — BUT RATHER — TO “POWER
RELATIONS” == [4] SOCIAL STRATIFICATION MEASUREMENT
“TOOLS”== “SOCIAL ECONOMIC STATUS” VERSUS “SOCIAL CLASS”
2) WHY
IS SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
CONSIDERED THE CORNERSTONE OF SOCIOLOGY?
BECAUSE IT THE MAIN FACTOR DETERMINING HOW
SOCIETY WORKS.
SOCIAL
STRATIFICATION IS CONSIDERED THE CORNERSTONE OF SOCIAL RESEARCH BECAUSE EVERY
SOCIETY IS STRATIFIED IN SOME WAY – AFFECTING THE SOCIAL RELATIONS OF ITS
MEMBERS.
SOCIAL
STRATIFICATION IS CONSIDERED THE CORNERSTONE OF SOCIAL RESEARCH BECAUSE SOCIETY
IS DIVIDED INTO STATA/ LAYERS IN DECENDING AND ASCENDING ORDER, WHICH
REVOLVE AROUND DIFFERENCES CONSIDERED TO BE CONSEQUENTIAL
LIKE RACE, ETHNICITY, CLASS AND GENDER – AND
DETERMINE ACCESS TO SOCIETY'S RESOURCES.
ALL SOCIETIES ARE STRATIFIED ON THE GROUNDS OF SOME SOCIAL CRITERIA, AND SOCIOLOGY STUDIES HOW
SOCIETIES ARE STRATIFIED BY FOCUSING ON THE UNEQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF VALUED RESOURCES
EVERY SOCIETY CAN
BE DIVIDED INTO LAYERS OR HIERARCHIES THAT CAN BE RANKED ACCORDING TO CERTAIN
CRITERIA IN ASCENDING OR DESCENDING ORDER. THIS SUGGESTS THAT INEQUALITY IS NOT
RANDOM OR FLEETING, BUT IS PATTERNED AND PREDICTABLE AND TENDS TO CLUSTER AROUND CERTAIN DEVALUED CATEGORIES RELATED TO RACE OR ETHNICITY.
SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
IS CONSIDERED THE CORNERSTONE OF SOCIOLOGY BECAUSE IT DEALS WITH THE SOCIAL
CONSTRUCTION OF SOCIETY AS A HIERARCHY OF POWER, PROPERTY AND PRESTIGE. SOCIAL – I.E., A HIERARCHY OF POSITIONS THAT HAVE UNEQUAL PROPERTY,
POWER AND PRESTIGE (3PS).
SOCIAL
STRATIFICATION IN SOCIETY RESULTS IN "THE HIERARCHICAL ARRANGEMENT OF
GROUPS" BASED ON THEIR CONTROL OVER RESOURCES
FINALLY, SOCIAL
STRATIFICATION ALSO IMPACTS ALL OTHER DIMENSIONS OF SOCIOLOGICAL INQUIRY è SOCIAL STRUCTURE, SOCIAL ORDER, SOCIAL CONFLICT AND SOCIAL CHANGE.
PART III --- THE SOCIOLOGY OF
CULTURE:
1) CULTURE AND SUBCULTURE è {{DYNAMICS OF CULTURE}}IN MIXED SOCIETIES AND AN AGE OF “ACCELERATED
DIVERSITY – ETHNO-RACIAL IDENTITY IN THE GLOBAL WORLD IS OFTEN
USED AS A “PRACTICAL RESPONSE TO MODERN PROBLEMS.” è IT IS A MAJOR FORCE IN SHAPING, AND ADVANCING GROUP
RELATIONS WITHIN A MULTICULTUAL CONTEXT == I.E. TODAY INDIVIDUALS TEND TO
DEFINE THEMSELVES IN MULTIPLE AND CONTEXTUAL WAYS
INTEGRATING
{CONCEPTS/REALITY} EXERCISES:
A) EX: ‘GANGS, THE MEDIA, AND THE MYTH OF COMMUNITY’ EXERCISE è [“SOCIAL INEQUALITY” EXERCISE – RELATED TO THE
ARTICLE BY SIMON BLACK] WE EXAMINED WHY WHITE YOUTH ARE NOT CONNECTED TO
MURDEROUS MOTORCYCLE GANGS [LIKE THE BANDITOS OR HELLS ANGELS], THE WAY THE
BLACK YOUTH ARE ROUTINELY
CONNECTED TO MURDEROUS “GUN-TOTING-THUG” GANGS, PARTICULARLY IN TORONTO.
MOST IMPORTANTLY WE EXAMINED
SOME OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF
“PROBLEMATIZING” BLACK YOUTH [PUTTING THEM ON THE POLITICAL AGENDA] è
i) THERE ARE “INDIVIDUAL AND COMMUNITY” CONSEQUENCES IN REGARD TO DIGNITY,
IDENTITY, SELF-ESTEEM, OPPORTUNITIES AND OUTCOMES è
ii) THERE ARE “SOCIETAL” CONSEQUENCES IN REGARD TO EXPLOITATION, CONTROL,
INCARCERATION [RATES], AND [EVEN] EXCLUSION
iii) [{{CONCLUSION: CULTURES ARE HIERARCHICALLY ARRANGED IN SOCIETY AND ACCORDED DIFFERENTIAL REWARDS AND OPPORTUNITIES}}]
{IN
A WIDER SENSE, WHAT HAPPENS IN TERMS OF RACE RELATIONS HERE} è “PROBLEMATIZE” THE
“STRUCTURED IMPOVERISHMENT OF BLACKNESS” – BY TURNING ORDINARY PRACTICES INTO OCCASIONS
FOR INTERVENTION AND SOCIAL CHANGE
è “THE JANE-FINCH STIGMA” – VIDEO SURVEILLANCE,
OVER-POLICING OF MINORITY NEIGHBOURHOODS, TASKFORCE-FIXATION AND GANG SQUADS, RAMPING-UP PUNITIVE SENTENCING ON 'STREET CRIME', ETC.}
B) EX:
HYPENATED CANADIAN
EXERCISE è HYPENATION IS AN IMPORTANT PHENOMENON FOR UNDERSTANDING ETHNICITY AND RACE IN A CANADIAN CONTEXT
“HYPENATED
CANADIAN” IS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO DESCRIBES THEMSELF AND DEFINES THEIR IDENTITY
AS A COMBINATION OF ETHNIC OR RACIAL BACKGROUND AND NATIONAL BACKGROUND.
WE IDENTIFY
OURSELVES USING MULTIPLE MEASURES AND YARDSTICKS è
THESE MULTIPLE IDENTITIES ARE FLUID AND PLURAL.
HYPENATED
CANADIANS ARE INDIVIDUALS WHO DEFINE THEMSELVES AS CANADIANS BUT ALSO AS PART OF
ANOTHER ETHNICTY OR RACE.
HYPENATED
CANADIANS IS THE COMBINATION OF ETHNIC OR RACIAL “SUBCULTURE” AND NATIONAL “CULTURE IN
THE FORMATION OF IDENTITY.
ETHNICITY AND RACE ARE SOURCES OF MEANING,
STATUS AND ATTACHMENT {IE., INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIAL “IDENTITY”
FORMATION}.
HYPHENATION IS A GLOBAL PHENOMENON {VARIOUSLY TERMED “THE ETHNIC
REVOLUTION,” “THE ETHNIC EXPLOSION” OR “THE ETHNIC REVIVAL”} è ETHNICITY CAN BE TYPED AND/OR CHARACTERIZED AS FOLLOWS: [A] PRIMORDIALIST (ESSENTIALIST – “YOUR OWN KIND”), [B] INSTRUMENTALIST
(INTEREST AND STATUS-ORIENTED); [C] IDENTITY
THESIS (ETHNICITY AS A MEANS TO AN END);
[D] CONSTRUCTIVIST [CREATION OF ETHNICITY THROUGH MEANINGFUL
INTERACTION IN RESPONSE TO SPECIFIC SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES – E.G. POLITCAL AND/OR INSURRECTIONIST] {SEE FLERAS PP. 95}
2) WHAT DID WE LEARN
ABOUT CULTURE THAT IS SPECIFIC TO CANADA?
SOCIOLOGICAL THESIS: CANADIAN SOCIETY IS A
“VERTICAL MOSAIC” PRODUCED BY THE INTERRELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN CULTURE, POWER AND IDEOLOGY
CANADA COMPRISES AN ETHNO-RACIAL HIERARCHY: THE INTERACTION BETWEEN CULTURE, POWER AND IDEOLOGY IS THE BASIS
FOR “SOCIAL STRATIFICATION” (POSITION, RANK, LAYER, PECKING ORDER
) IN “OUR” SOCIETY
******SOCIETY IS A SYSTEM OF “GRADUATED PRIVILEGE”----
SOCIAL RANKING// LAYERING //“PECKING ORDER” // “TOTEM POLE” IN SOCIETY
== IS AN EXTENSION OF CULTURAL GROUP INTERACTION, EMBEDDED AND ENFORCED BY POWER, AND JUSTIFIED BY IDEOLOGY
****BECAUSE IT FOCUSES ON THE UNEQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF VALUED RESOURCES *
SOCIAL STRATIFICATION IS THE CORNERSTONE OF SOCIOLOGY.
SOCIAL STRATIFICATION CAN BE STUDIED BECAUSE IT REFERS TO PERSISTENT
PATTERNS OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY WITHIN SOCIETY è
THE WAY THAT WEALTH, POWER AND PRESTIGE IS DISTRIBUTED.
PART IV --- THE STUDY OF
SOCIAL INEQUALITY [DOMINANT-SUBDOMINANT
INTERACTION]
[[HOW DO CERTAIN HUMAN
DIFFERENCES COME TO REGULARLY HAVE SIGNIFICANT CONSEQUENCES FOR THE LIVES THAT
WE ARE ABLE TO LEAD IN SOCIETY?]]
== STRUCTURED AND RECURRENT PATTERNS OF INEQUITABLE GROUP
RELATIONS [*****DOMINANT-SUBDOMINANT INTERACTION].
SOCIAL INEQUALITY – IS
CHARACTERIZED BY THE EXISTENCE OF UNEQUAL OPPORTUNITIES AND REWARDS FOR DIFFERENT SOCIAL
POSITIONS OR STATUSES WITHIN A GROUP OR SOCIETY.
ALL CONTEMPORARY SOCIOLOGISTS AGREE ======> INEQUALITY IS ABOUT ENTITLEMENTS: THAT IS,
WHO GETS WHAT, HOW AND WHY?
MEASUREMENTS(?)
(A) INEQUALITY
OF CONDITIONS =======>{ECONOMIC
PRIVILEGE OR THE MATERIAL DISTRIBUTION OF REWARDS}; AND/OR
(B) INEQUALITY
OF OPPORTUNITIES ======> {“LIFE CHANCES” –
PROBABILITY OF ATTAINING OR FAILING TO ATTAIN CERTAIN GOALS AND EXPERIENCES IN LIFE
(KATRINA EXERCISE?)
======> REFLECTED IN SUCH MEASURES AS THEIR LEVEL OF EDUCATION, HEALTH
STATUS, NUTRITION, AND TREATMENT BY THE JUSTICE SYSTEM}
IN TERMS
OF THESE MEASURES, CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL RESEARCHERS TEND TO AGREE THAT
ETHNICITY AND RACE AND
GENDER ARE KEY
STATUS-INEQUALITY SYSTEMS
PART V --- ETHNICITY AND RACE AS SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS AND STATUS SYSTEMS
(1) ETHNICITY - CANADA OFFICIALLY SANCTIONS ETHNIC DIVERSITY [AS A
LEGITIMATE FORM OF IDENTITY], WHERE DIFFERENT COLLECTIVITIES OF
PEOPLE WITH SHARED CULTURAL TRAITS, INCLUDING LANGUAGE, RELIGION, OR ANCESTRY
COMPRISE THE CANADIAN MOSAIC. ETHNIC IDENTITY IS CELEBRATED IN THE FORM OF "MULTICULTURAL POLICY".
RACIAL -
GROUPS DEFINE THEMSELVES AND/OR ARE DEFINED BY
OTHER GROUPS AS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER GROUPS BY VIRTUE OF "INNATE AND IMMUTABLE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS". THESE PHYSICAL
CHARACTERISTICS ARE IN TURN BELIEVED TO BE INTRINSICALLY RELATED TO
MORAL, INTELLECTUAL, AND OTHER NON-PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES OR ABILITIES
IN SHORT, RACE REFERS TO A GROUP THAT IS "SOCIALLY" DEFINED BUT ON THE
BASIS OF "PHYSICAL" CRITERIA.
(A) WHEN YOU DEFINE A RACE, YOU
DEFINE SOMEONE "BIOLOGICALLY" - WHEN YOU DEFINE A
ETHNICITY YOU DEFINE THEM
"CULTURALLY."
(B) IN CANADA TODAY, WHAT USED TO BE CALLED RACE IS BEING SUBSUMED UNDER THE CATEGORY OF "ETHNICITY" (I.E., BEING GIVEN A "CULTURAL VOCABULARY" FOR SPEAKING OF PEOPLE).
(C) THE TERM "RACE" IS BEING RESERVED FOR PEOPLE DEFINED AS "WHITE",
"BLACK", AND "ASIAN"
(2) THE
MARGINALIZATION, RACIALIZATION AND STIGMATIZATON è
{SUBTITLE: “SOME NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF SOCIAL/ CULTURAL DIFFERENTIATION”}.
MARGINALIZATION: REFERS TO THE STATUS OF A GROUP WHO
DOES NOT HAVE FULL AND EQUAL ACCESS TO THE
SOCIAL ECONOMIC, CULTURAL, AND POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS
OF SOCIETY. ========è
RACIALIZATION - REFERS TO THE ASSIGNING OF RACIAL CONNOTATIONS
TO THE ACTIVITIES OF MINORITY PEOPLE =======è
STIGMATIZATION: REFERS TO A MARK OF DISGRACE IMPOSED ON AN
INDIVIDUAL BY OTHER INDIVIDUALS OR A SOCIAL GROUP. IN POPULAR USAGE IT OFTEN
REFERS TO ANY NEGATIVE SANCTION OR DISAPPROVAL FOR NONCONFORMITY. AN UNDESIRABLE DIFFERENTNESS OF AN INDIVIDUAL THAT DISQUALIFIES
HIM OR HER FROM FULL SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE.
SOCIOLOGISTS ORIGINALLY USED THE TERM TO SHOW HOW HUMANS NOT ONLY SEEK TO CONTROL THE PHYSICAL WORLD BUT THE SOCIAL
WORLD.
[[[SOCIAL
ANALYSIS: THE PROCESS OF
MARGINALIZATION-RACIALIZATION-STIGMATIZATION {EX: “RACIAL PROFILING”} IS A FORM OF “OTHERING”
THAT ESTABLISHES WHITENESS AS NORMAL NATURAL AND NEUTRAL AND {POSITIVE POLE} è THE UNSPOKEN AND INVISIBLE STANDARD BY
WHICH ALL ELSE IS JUDGED ==
“OTHERING" PEOPLE - MAKING PEOPLE INTO THE "NOT-US" {NEGATIVE
POLE} è WHEN THEY ARE NOT-US THEY LACK
SOMETHING -- WHEN THEY LACK SOMETHING THEN THEY ARE "LESS THAN
US".]]]