Marxist and Functionalist theories of class and inequality

Marxist and Functionalist theories of classify and inequalityCLASS AND STRATIFICATIONMarx believed that our society was in a state of continual conflict between the working class and upper class evaluate the Marxist theory of kindly class using Functionalism and Postmodernism theories of class.Compargon and contrast Marxist and functionalist explanations of class and inequality.There are several sociological perspectives and they all have different ideas and theories about class and inequality, including Marxist (Karl Marx a conflict theory) and Functionalist (Emile Durkheim, Robert Merton a structural consensus theory). In this es verify I will show the different theories of social class from these two perspectives. I will then conclude by evaluating the Postmodernist view of social class.Marxism was introduced by Karl Marx (1818-1883). Karl Marx believed that society was divided into two classes, the Bourgeoisie (ruling class) and the Proletariats (lower/working class) (Burton, 2013). He believed that that the bourgeoisie exploited and oppressed the proletariat. Marx followed the structural conflict perspective and believed that institutions such as education, the media and the rectitude are used by the bourgeoisie as a way to define and influence social class (Marx, 1818 cited in Blunden, 2013). Marx also believed that Capitalism would lede to polarisation of the two classes with the rich getting richer while the poor get poorer. This polarisation makes it harder for the poorer classes to achieve in life as well as achieving social mobility. He believed that as the capitalist society advanced the small business owners would be absorbed by the bourgeoisie and multinational companies. Marx wanted the proletariat to overthrow the capitalist society of the bourgeoisie and hoped for a classless society where wealth and profit was divided equally (Anon, n.da). There has been much criticism on Marxs theory of social class the first being that this theory is m uch too simplistic in that society can non be based on solo two different classes. In a modern society class is not as simple as Marx claimed it was and the communist society that Marx wished for has been tried and failed, Russia is a prime example of this. In addition on that point are many an(prenominal) other divisions within societies that Marx did not consider, such as age, race, gender etc. some other major criticism is that Marxs idea if monopolization has not come to fruition as although there are many large national companies there are also many small businesses as well despite the process of polarisation still occurring in some areas (Anon, n.da). The Marxist theory of class, although it does progress to some valid theories, is flawed in that in a modern society there are many processes in place to ensure that workers are not exploited, such as unions and fair wages laws. Also in a modern society conflict within the workplace is rare as those who are unhappy do have t he option to improve and move up or down positions, so this would suggest social mobility is possible (Anon, n.da).Functionalism was introduced by Emile Durkheim (1858-1917). The main principle of functionalism is that each part of a society is interdependent and contributes towards making society work as a whole. Each of these part has to be working correctly but if something does go wrong then society has mechanisms to deal with them, such as the police and the legal system. Functionalists also believe that both(prenominal) social institution has many important functions to perform (Durkheim, 1858 cited in Burton, 2013). Therefore stratification is necessary for all(prenominal) society as it patrons to maintain social auberge and stability if every part knows its role (Davis Moore, 1945 cited in Anon, n.d). Durkheim introduced the theory anomie, or lack of social norms, that could cause instability or chaos. This concept bought to luminance many instances that could affect a society in a negative way and especially the behaviour of individuals towards one another (Emile Durkheim org, 2013). Another concept gift forward by Durkheim the sum of all of its parts is larger than the whole, defined at the introduction of the structural/functionalist theory, is as relevant today as it was when first introduced (Gamble, 2008).There has been much criticism on the functionalist explanation of class, the first being that many of the vital jobs in modern society are not necessarily rewarded with high status or income, this is in total contrast to the functionalist belief that those vital jobs should be rewarded as so. Another big criticism of this climax is that it does not take into account individual differences, in that individuals can make an impact within an institution rather than the institution impacting the individual (Anon, n.da). This theory, much interchangeable the Marxist theory, is simplistic in the idea that all of society accept class inequali ty and that this inequality is inevitable for society. Postmodernists claim that society has moved on since the modern period and this has been caused by globalisation, the reduction of the power of the nation state, economic changes, fragmented social classes, and relativism, a way of looking at the world that includes every theory as valid. As societies change on a daily basis there are much and more claims that social class is becoming less significant and no longer a useful tool to measure societies by and some suggest that it is only deficient culture that keeps battalion in what would be called the lower classes (Burton, 2013). Postmodernist theories suggest that an individuals choice of goods, such as supermarket choices, and lifestyle activities is now a much more important indicator of an individuals identity. This identity is then what creates a persons politics, sexuality and family structure etc. (Education Forum, n.d). This would then suggest that a postmodern societ y is defined by diversity and choice rather than social class. Within the postmodernist theory there is the emphasis on the design to which family diversity is changing, the decline in the normal two parent two children families, the growth of single parent families, cohabitation, gay marriage and increasing ethnic diversity. They say there is no longer a fixed family norm that people can refer to (Education Forum, n.d). As society is much more diverse than it was many years ago class is no longer relevant. This perspective believes that there cannot be a single theoretical explanation of society, whether by individual parts or as a whole, as society only exists as a reassuring entity. They argue that in a modern society the hand media plays a huge influential role in creating the image of what a society should be. Postmodernists Lyotard and Baudrillard believe that theories such as Marxism and Functionalism are meta-narratives or grand-narratives, meaning they both elaborate that society is under control, and it can be seen in some places that this is not the case (lyotard Baudrillard, n.d cited in Anon, n.db).ReferencesAnon. (n.d) Structure for all Essays online. lendable from https//www.google.co.uk/universal resource locator?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=6ved=0CFwQFjAF uniform resource locator=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edubuzz.org%2Fplhs-humanities%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1925%2Ffiles%2F2013%2F11%2FEssay-structure-template-SS.docei=nIVRU8T7OsaqPJmugFAusg=AFQjCNGz_J3fJ7oqdNq7u0ai_tVV9Fte9wsig2=XIiq_tawT4LKaqZ3TzGJjgbvm=bv.65058239,d.ZWUcad=rja Accessed on 13th April 2014.Anon. (n.db) Evaluate Post-Modernist Views on Inequality and Difference. 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