An abstract This article looks at social exclusion from three major sociological perspectives: functional analysis, conflict theory and symbolic interactionism. In doing so, it aims to examine with empirical cases and past practice from different scholars to observe which sociological perspectives can provide the clearest vantage to better understand the origins of the concept of social exclusion. Introduction In the twenty-first century, the world which actively advocating social harmony, everyone makes concerted efforts to build up a harmonious, stable and equal community. However, Social exclusion, how hard we are trying to deny it, as viewed as the features of all hierarchies (Pocock, 1957, P.19), has been part of us to tackle. As Mathieson …show more content…
It looks at which groups have benefit and power from an exclusive social order and then use their power to control the institutions of society for their advantage. However, they assumed that society divided into two main classes of people: the haves and have-nots. Symbolic Interactionism Symbolic Interactionist Perspective emphasizes that human behavior is influenced by meanings created via symbolic interaction with others. Thomas (1966) asserted that human would more focus on the definition of a situation rather than the objective of situation. So, he inferred that what we define as real will become real as a result. However, it also believes that self-identity and sense are shaped by social interaction self-concept is developed by how others interact with us and label us. The scope of Social Exclusion In fact, there are broad scope of social exclusion. Nevertheless, some scholars tried to make clear for those. Silver (1994) emphasized that people could be excluded from a livelihood, consumption level education, skills, citizenship participation in the democratic process, the dominant race, ethnicity, class, sociability etc. …show more content…
However, Parker (2012) argued that discrimination and prejudice, share important relations with the production of dominants (p.166). Hook & Vrdoljak (2002) pointed out that one of examples of racial exclusion is a gated community (p.208). Flusty (2004) stated that gates can safeguard those insider by excluding those outsider such as fences across Israel and fences between the United States and Mexico. Eisenberger and Lieberman (2004) raised up a pain overlap theory (P.297). Yet, MacDonald and Leary (2005) reflected that social pain of exclusion are functional in responding to danger and guiding social groups from threats (p.223). Symbolic Interactionism by other scholars Blumer (1986) alleged that racial and ethnic exclusion is formed via interactions between the dominant groups. However, dominants would not hold racial and ethnic views without interactions. So, these interactions conduce to an imagery of the subordinates which allows the dominants to support its view of the subordinates, thus maintain the status quo.
Blumer (1958) states that there are four basic types of feelings that is occurring together when racial prejudice is happening. These cannot just happen separately, there needs to be all four to exhibit the racial prejudice. First, there is ones sense of superiority, this is explained as members of the dominant group feeling as if they are simply better that members of other racial groups. Second, there is a feeling of members of the dominant group that the subordinate racial group is significantly different. The way Blumer explains this feeling is by
dominance by not acknowledging the blacks. In his essay, “Race Prejudice as a Sense of Group Position,” Herbert Blumer asserts “race prejudice is a protective device. It functions, however short-sightedly, to preserve the integrity and the position of the dominant group” (172). For the whites to protect their social status they must place the blacks into a subordinate position and revolve their interactions with them around that group disposition. The disposition, or prejudice includes “a fear or apprehension that the subordinate racial group is threatening, or will threaten, the position of the dominant group” (Blumer 171).
...of social construction and really are about some negative sides of the human experience. Whether black or white, lower-class or upper-class, separation exists. It’s evident by these authors own experiences, no matter what method they use to convey it, whether that method be intellectual or emotional. Social separation, no matter what the cause, can be very damaging, and is felt by all kinds of people. Not just the black or the white, or the intellectuals or the “hoods.”
Symbolic interactionism is the study of how people negotiate the meaning of social life during their interactions with other people. I thought all black guys had the same speech. I used to think they were loud,
Johnson, A.G. (2010). The social construction of difference. In M. Adams, W. Blumenfeld, C. Castaneda, H. Hackman, M. Peters, and X. Zuniga (Eds), Readings for diversity and social justice, (2nd ed). (pp.157-164). New York Routledge.
Social inequality refers to inter-relational processes in our society that has an adverse effect on limiting or harming a specific group’s social status, social class, and social circle. The way in which people behave, socially, through racist or sexist practices and other forms of discrimination, at the grass roots, gets down to affect the opportunities of the minorities, that the wealthy individuals can generate for on their own. This can be seen in almost all the levels of economy, ranging from state to the global economy.
Race is an ambiguous concept possessed by individuals, and according to sociologists Michael Omi and Howard Winant, it is socially constructed. Race divides people into categories which causes needless cultural and social tensions. The concept of race also causes inclusion, exclusion, and segregation in the U.S. Both inclusion and exclusion tie together to create the overall process of segregation; one notion cannot occur without resulting in the others. Segregation is a form of separation in terms of race that includes the processes of inclusion and exclusion. Race was the main factor that caused conflicts among people in society in the domains of culture, education, and residential. Residential segregation is the physical
...ground or where they are located in the world, it is ignorant to put these differences up as a way to distinguish one people from another, or to say that one race has greater hierarchal significance than another. These constructions provide insight into how people have come to see one another and can also help to see ways through which avoiding racism in modern society may one day be possible.
First, the chapters cover stratification. According to study.com “Social stratification refers to a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy. In the United States, it is perfectly clear that some groups have greater status, power, and wealth than other groups.” According to the textbook “Stratification is unequal distribution of valued
Social order is a highly complex subject. The cause of social order will most likely continue to be studied by sociologists for many years to come. In the mean time, Hobbes’ social control theory and Meads’ symbolic interactionism theory have many valid points in explaining how social order can be possible in such a vast society such as the United State of America.
We have no control as to what we are born into, including our social status in the U.S and the color of our faces. Even though we do not have control over this we are automatically put into these social roles, “... a pattern of behavior that is expected of a person in a given setting or group.” (Spielman et al., 2014, p. 411) These social roles lead to “ingroups-outgroups”, “[a]n ingroup is a group that we identify with or see ourselves as belonging to. A group that we don’t belong to, or an out-group, is a group that we view as fundamentally different from us.” (Spielman et al., 2014, p. 434) Because we identify more with our ingroup we tend to be automatically biased against the outgroup.(Spielman et al., 2014) This can lead to conformity,
Social injustice in our society portrays the segregation of people among different types of groups. Throughout history, humans have been divided into different social classes from lowest to highest. People in the lower class experiences many hardships when it comes to living and are seen as inferior in society.
The theory of symbolic interactionism grew from the understanding the mind was not a thing or structure, but was a process of thinking (Ritzer, 2000). This process comprised of three stages, which includes defining objects in the social world, outlining possible modes of conduct and seeing the consequences of alternative actions and elimination of unlikely possibilities allowing a focus on selecting the most optimal course of action (Ritzer, 2000), this process allows the “self” the ability to adjust with interactions with others. (Ritzer, 2000)
It also involves not being able to participate in economic, social, political or cultural activities available to the majority of people in a society. Social exclusion affects the standard of living of individuals as well as social cohesion and equity (www.poverty.ac.uk 2013).
George Herbert Mead begins his discussion of symbolic interactionism (talking with others) by defining three core principles that deal with meaning, language, and thought. The theory states that meaning is the construction of social reality. Humans act toward people or things on the basis of the meanings they assign to those people or things.