Question

Compare and contrast Bourdieu’s and Weber’s contribution to the study of social stratification?

Answer 1

Social Stratification is a kind of social differentiation whereby a society groups people into socioeconomic strata, based upon their occupation and income, wealth and social status, or derived power (social and political). As such, stratification is the relative social position of persons within a social group, category, geographic region, or social unit.

Boudieu and Weber’s Social Stratification:
Bourdieu’s was primarily concerned with the dynamics of power in society and especially the diverse and subtle ways in which power is transferred and social order is maintained within and across generations. He developed theories of social stratification based on aesthetic taste; and claims that one’s aesthetic dispositions depicts one’s status and distances oneself from lower groups. Bourdieu says class fractions are determined by a combination of the varying degrees of social, economic and cultural capital. According to him, taste in food, culture and presentations are indicators of class, because trends in their consumption correlate with an individual’s fit in society. Each fraction of the dominant class develops its own aesthetic criteria.

Weber’s social stratification is a multi-dimensional approach that reflects the interplay among wealth, prestige and power. He argues that power can take a variety of forms. A person’s power can be shown through their status, in the economic order through their class and in political order, through their party.