1 / 10

Social Change and Social Class

Social Change and Social Class. Warm-up discussion What comes to mind when you hear the term “labor union”? Why?. Social Change and Social Class Review - Power and Social Class. Social Classes - Relational View Capitalist, middle, working class Focus on Power and Interests

dakota
Download Presentation

Social Change and Social Class

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Social Change and Social Class • Warm-up discussion • What comes to mind when you hear the term “labor union”? • Why?

  2. Social Change and Social Class Review - Power and Social Class • Social Classes - Relational View • Capitalist, middle, working class • Focus on Power and Interests • Different perspectives on class interests, power, and social policies • Conservative – harmony; balanced; minimal government role • Liberal – fundamental harmony, business and the wealthy tend to accumulate too much power; active government role • Socialist – fundamental conflict; capitalist class is the ruling class but workers have great potential power; socialism [social democracy]

  3. Key forms of working and middle class power – parties and unions • Political parties • United States vs. parliamentary systems • U.S. – 2 parties, both dominated by business / capitalist class • Parliamentary systems – typically multi-party, including labor or socialist parties • Dilemma of working-class party politics in the United States

  4. Key forms of working and middle class power – parties and unions II. Labor Unions in the United States • Early history • National Labor Relations Act 1935 • Decline of CIO, rise of AFL-CIO and postwar compact • End of postwar compact in the 1970s • Decline of labor unions • Attacked by business • Role of government • Self-imposed problems • Current attempts to revive • Key role of organizing

  5. Mary Harris “Mother” Jones, Victory at Arnot (123) • Background – “Mother Jones” • Conditions in the mines in the 1890s • Were you aware of this? • Are there similar conditions anywhere now? • United Mine Workers organizing efforts

  6. The strike at Arnot • Company tactics – evictions, ‘scabs,’ and exploiting ethnic divisions • Later strikes – violence (472) • Miners’ responses • What do you think of their tactics? • President Wilson • Importance of government role • Outcome

  7. Cesar Chavez, The Organizer’s Tale (124)[1966] • Background – Cesar Chavez • Organizing • And leadership development • Perspective of an organizer • The UFW – a critical view • Migrant farm workers today • FLOC – Farm Labor Organizing Committee

  8. CONCLUSIONS:Race/Ethnicity, Gender / Sexual Orientation, Social Class • IDENTITY • As source of individual grounding, enrichment, community • As source of marginalization, anxiety • POWER • Individual systems of inequality, exploitation • Reinforcing each other • Potential power to create or resist change

  9. SOCIAL CHANGE • Relates directly to systems of inequality • Can involve seeking greater equality • Egalitarian – typically address one system • Transformational – addresses all systems, and the larger culture • Operates at different levels • Individual • Small group • Institutional • Social

  10. KEYS TO PARTICIPATING IN SOCIAL CHANGE • MOTIVATION • WHAT’S YOUR “SELF-INTEREST” • NARROW, SHORT-TERM • VALUES-BASED, LONG-TERM • CONNECT LEARNING, ACTION, AND REFLECTION • ACT ON DIFFERENT LEVELS • STAY INFORMED, STAY CONNECTED

More Related