SOCIAL JUSTICE STUDIES ANALYTIC TOOL BOX:

[[SOCIAL PROCESSES, SOCIAL FORCES, SOCIAL DIMENSIONS AND SOCIAL DYNAMICS

IN CANADIAN SOCIETY]]

COURSE THESIS == SOCIAL JUSTICE AND INJUSTICE IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY IS REVEALED IN PATTERNS OF INEQUALITY, MANIFESTED PRIMARILY ALONG THE LINES OF RACE & ETHNICITY, CLASS, AND GENDER RELATIONS.

[[ANALYTIC QUESTION: HOW DO WE STUDY SOCIAL INEQUALITY?]]

1) SOCIAL PROCESSES == THE EXAMINATION OF SOCIAL JUSTICE IS NOT THE EXAMINATION OF A THING BUT RATHER AN INTERACTIVE PROCESS AND INTERPLAY (BETWEEN PHENOMENON OF) è “INEQUALITY & DOMINATION” – “RESISTANCE & COLLECTIVE EMPOWERMENT”

SOCIAL PROCESSES EVOLVE IN THE TENSION BETWEEN “DOMINANT” AND “MINORITY” GROUPS èDOMINATION AND RESISTANCE

2) SOCIAL FORCES == CULTURE, POWER & IDEOLOGY == HOW DOES SOCIETY WORK? IT IS CREATED BY CULTURES, MAINTAINED AND ENFORCED BY POWER AND JUSTIFIED BY IDEOLOGY.

I) CULTURE == CREATES SOCIAL STRATIFICATION (“JOCKEYING FOR POSITION”) IN AND THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION OF SOCIAL REALITY.

II) POWER == MAINTAINS SOCIAL STRATIFICATION BE ENFORCING AN CONSISTENT GROUP “PECKING ORDER”.

III) IDEOLOGY == CULTURAL BELIEFS THAT SERVE TO JUSTIFY SOCIAL STRATIFICATION.

CULTURAL DYNAMICS CREATE SOCIAL INEQUALITY èPOWER TURNS INEQUALITY INTO SOCIAL STRATIFICATION SYSTEMS è IDEOLOGY MAKES SYSTEMS OF STRATIFICATION APPEAR NORMAL AND LEGITIMATE.

3) FIVE BASIC DIMENSIONS OF SOCIAL INQUIRY

I) THE STUDY OF SOCIAL STRUCTURE, OR THE WAY IN WHICH SOCIETY IS ORGANIZED, BOTH FORMALLY AND INFORMALLY.

II) THE STUDY OF SOCIAL ORDER, OR WHAT IT IS THAT HOLDS SOCIETY TOGETHER (COMPOSED OF INDIVIDUALS WITH DIFFERENT INTERESTS AND PERCEPTIONS).

III) THE STUDY OF SOCIAL CONFLICT, OR WHEN AND WHY DOES SOCIETY BREAKDOWN.

IV) THE STUDY OF SOCIAL CHANGE, OR HOW AND WHY DO SOCIETIES CHANGE (COMPOSED OF INSTITUTIONS AND POWER STRUCTURES WITHIN THEM, AND THE VALUES AND BELIEFS HELD BY INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS).

V) THE STUDY OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION, OR THE MANNER IN WHICH VALUED RESOURCES – THAT IS WEALTH, POWER, AND PRESTIGE – ARE DISTRIBUTED, AND THE WAY IN WHICH ADVANTAGES OF WEALTH, POWER, AND PRESTIGE ARE PASSED FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION******

4) SOCIAL/INTERACTIONAL DYNAMICS – HOW DOES STRATIFICATION AND INJUSTICE IMPACT SOCIETY? THROUGH THE DYNAMIC INTERACTIONS CONNECTED TO ETHNOCENTRISM, STEREOTYPING, PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION.

I) ETHNOCENTRISM == IS THE BELIEF THAT ONE'S OWN CULTURE IS BETTER THAN OTHERS AND/OR THE TENDENCY TO BELIEVE THAT WHAT IS TRUE OF YOUR CULTURE IS TRUE OF OTHERS.

II) STEREOTYPING == IS A SET OF BIASED GENERALIZATIONS ABOUT A GROUP OR CATEGORY OF PEOPLE THAT IS UNFAVORABLE, EXAGGERATED OR OVER-SIMPLIFIED.

III) PREJUDICE == IS A NEGATIVE ATTITUDE BASED ON PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS ABOUT MEMBERS OF A SELECT GROUP.

IV) DISCRIMINATION == THE DENIAL OF EQUAL TREATMENT, OR OPPORTUNITIES OR ACCESS TO VALUED RESOURCES TO INDIVIDUALS ON THE BASIS OF THEIR MEMBERSHIP IN A PARTICULAR GROUP.

5) SOCIAL CONTEXTS – WHAT ARE THE OVERARCHING “PARADIGMS” THAT CIRCUMSCRIBE SOCIAL PATTERNS AND STRUCTURES IN SOCIETY?

 I) GLOBAL CAPITALISM =è AN ECONOMIC SYSTEM BASED ON PRIVATE PROPERTY RELATIONS AND ITS ATTENDANT MARKET-LOGIC POLITICS OF NEOLIBERALISM.

II) PATRIARCHY =è MALESTREAM REALITY.

III) WHITE SUPREMACY =è ASIDE: IN OUR CLASS WE PREFERRED THE TERM “CULTURAL HEGEMONY” – DOMINATION BASED IN BELIEFS OF INTELLECTUAL AND MORAL SUPERIORITY.