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Today’s Class

Today’s Class. Domination Stratification Democracy and Bureaucracy Comparing Weber and Marx In-class Writing Discussion of Espeland article Film clip/discussion. Domination. Weber’s definition Legitimate and Illegitimate Domination Types of Legitimate Domination

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Today’s Class

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  1. Today’s Class • Domination • Stratification • Democracy and Bureaucracy • Comparing Weber and Marx • In-class Writing • Discussion of Espeland article • Film clip/discussion

  2. Domination • Weber’s definition • Legitimate and Illegitimate Domination • Types of Legitimate Domination • Based on personal authority: • Traditional • Charismatic • Based on normative authority: • Rational

  3. Legitimate Domination • Traditional Authority • Domination through tradition • Charismatic Authority • Domination through miracles • Rational Authority • Domination through knowledge

  4. Stratification

  5. Stratification • Ideal Types – independent dimensions of inequality • Interrelated • Cultural stratification as basis for economic and political stratification • Economic and political stratification translated into cultural stratification

  6. Bureaucracy and Democracy • “Bureaucracy inevitably accompanies mass democracy . . .” (E & S, p. 983) • Passive democratization • Tension between bureaucracy and democracy • Bureaucracy as indestructible • “the discipline of officialdom” • Bureaucracy as a tool

  7. Political Limitations of Bureaucracy • Increasing power of state bureaucracy (government) • Civil service mentality

  8. Robert Michels • Political Parties (1911): Iron Law of Oligarchy “Who says organization, says oligarchy.” • Roots of oligarchy: • Technical expertise • Tendency to dependence on leaders • Special qualities of leaders

  9. Weber’s Politics • Rejection of fascism and socialism • “Politics as a Vocation” (1918) Qualities of political leaders

  10. Comparing Weber and Marx • Similarities • Comparative-historical approach • Concerns about impact of modernization (alienation; the iron cage) • Concerns about materialistic values under capitalism (commodity fetishism; Protestant ethic)

  11. Comparing Weber and Marx • Differences • Optimism vs. pessimism • Class struggle vs. rationalization • Materialist account vs. complex causality • Class vs. Class, Status and Party

  12. In-Class Writing Explain the title of Espeland’s article, “Bureaucratizing Democracy, Democratizing Bureaucracy.” (In what way does her case study show how democracy can be bureaucratized and bureaucracy democratized?)

  13. Class Discussion of Espeland • What is this article about? • Who held power within the Bureau of Reclamation? • What was the chronology of the Orme Dam decision? • How was public involvement incorporated into the decision process?

  14. Class Discussion of Espeland • What were the procedures of the PVA? • What kind of rationality was built into the design of this process? • Who counted as a political actor in the PVA process? • How was bureaucracy democratized? • How was democracy bureaucratized?

  15. Class Discussion of Espeland • What does Espeland mean when she states that “ . . . a narrow view of democracy limits our understanding of power”? • In what way does this case suggest that Weber was partially wrong about bureaucracy?

  16. Film Clip: “In the Light of Reverence” • What are the parallels between the case depicted in the film and the case described by Espeland? • How can we describe these conflicts in terms of Weber’s distinctions about different forms of rationality? • Why are seemingly rational decision processes irrational from the perspective of some social actors?

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