Social Stratification

1. Weber's Theory of Social Stratification
Uday Kumar Shil
12-3-20-0025

2. Outline
• Social Stratification
• Social Stratification Principles
• Example of Social Stratification
• Pictures of social stratification
• Table showing social stratification
• Sociological overview of Max Weber
• Weber's Theory of Social Class
• Few general concepts
• Legitimating of Authority

3. What Is Social Stratification
• In sociology, social stratification is a concept involving the
"classification of people into groups based on shared socio-
economic conditions. A relational set of inequalities with
economic, social, political and ideological dimensions.“
When differences lead to greater status, power or privilege for some
groups over the other it is called Social Stratification.
• Social stratification refers to the system of ranking people into
groups according to one or more criteria deemed important to
society. These include race, colour and wealth among others. It
can also be defined as the process by which society is divided in
terms of hierarchy where one social group is placed higher than
another group. This hierarchy is a rank order of groups and is
linked strongly to perceptions of ethnicity, colour, class and even
gender.

4. Social Stratification Principles
• It is based on four principles:-
Social stratification is a trait of society, not simply a
reflection of individual differences
Social stratification carries over from generation to
generation
Social stratification is universal but variable
Social stratification involves not just inequality but
beliefs as well

5. Example of Social Stratification
• Social stratification
and the African
influences in
American slave
communities

6. Pictures of social stratification

7. Table showing social stratification
CLASS COLOUR STATUS
Upper class/caste/ruling elites Traditionally white Own wealth, means of
production and political power
Intermediate class/caste Mulatto/browns Usually educated ,own some
wealth, desire but lack
political power
Working class/caste Blacks Slaves, uneducated, lack
wealth and political power

8. Sociological overview of Max Weber
• Max Weber was strongly influenced by Marx's ideas,
but rejected the possibility of effective communism,
arguing that it would require an even greater level of
detrimental social control and bureaucratization than
capitalist society. Moreover, Weber criticized
the dialectical presumption of proletariat revolt,
believing it to be unlikely.
• He emphasized the difference between class, status,
and power, and treated these as separate but related
sources of power, each with different effects on social
action.

9. Weber's Theory of Social Class
• Marx saw class divisions as the most important source
• of social conflict.
• Weber's analysis of class is similar to Marx's, but he discusses
• class in the context of social stratification more generally.
• Class is one dimension of the social structure.
• Social status, or "social honor," is another.
• Both are significant contributors
• of social difference.
• In order to fully understand Weber's perspective on stratification,

10. Few general concepts
• Power
• Domination
• Communal & Societal Action

11. Power
• POWER -> ability of an actor (or actors) to realize his or her will
in a social action, even against the will of other actors. Power
relates to the ability to command resources in a particular
domain.
• Economic power, then, is the ability to control material
resources: to direct production, to monopolize accumulation,
to dictate consumption.
• Societal power includes economic power, social power, legal or
political power, and so forth. Although the control of these
domains of resources usually go together, they represent
different mechanisms of power, and are conceptually distinct.

12. Domination
• Domination is the exercise of
authority .
• Possession of power in a
sphere results in dominance.
Weber articulated three ideal
types of domination:
charisma, tradition and
rational-legal.
Communal & Societal Action
• A communal action is oriented
on the basis of a shared belief of
affiliation. In other words, actors
believe that they somehow
belong together in some way.
Their action stems from, and is
co-ordinated by this sentiment.
In contrast, societal action is
oriented to a rational
adjustment of interests. The
motivation is not a sense of
shared purpose, but rather, a
recognition of shared interests.

13. Class
• 3 aspects of class:
(i) a specific causal component of actors life chances
(ii) which rests exclusively on economic interests and
wealth,
(iii) is represented under conditions of labour and
commodity markets.
Status
• status groups normally are
communities (class groups do
not constitute communities,
according to Weber)
• Status is defined as the
likelihood that life chances are
determined by social honour,
or, prestige. Status groups are
linked by a common style of life,
and the attendant social
restrictions.
Class and status interests interact
in the realm of the legal order, the
arena of politics. Political power
is, obviously, often based on class
and status interests. Parties are
the organizations of power.
Party

14. Legitimating of Authority
• Three Ideal Types of Authority
1. Traditional: Authority entirely comes from the fact authority has
always rested in that person or position.
2. Charismatic: Contrasted with traditional authority. The
authority of charismatics resides entirely in their personal
attributes. Weber argues that these are people who present
themselves as people who possess “special gifts,” almost or
exactly supernatural. Their position is predicated on the
continuing proof of their special powers.
3. Legal-Rational: Authority by codified law. Whomever holds the
position is entitled to authority and carries with them the
capacity for power. Usually held in bureaucracies.

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