Page 254 - DSOC202_SOCIAL_STRATIFICATION_ENGLISH

Sukanya Das, Lovely Professional University Unit 12: Mobility in Closed and Open Systems of Stratification

Unit 12: Mobility in Closed and Open Systems of Notes

Stratification

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
12.1 Open System of Social Stratification
12.2 Closed System of Social Stratification
12.3 Social Mobility in India
12.4 Summary
12.5 Key–Words
12.6 Review Questions
12.7 Further Readings

Objectives

After studying this unit students will be able to:
• Explain the Open and Closed Systems of Social Stratification.
• Discuss the Social Mobility in India.

Introduction
Stratification is ranking of people in a society. Ranking is made on certain criteria. These criteria
include power, status and prestige. The Marxists look at stratification from the perspective of
mode of production. As a matter of fact social stratification in contemporary sociology has become
a multi-disciplinary and multi-dimensional field of study. It is qualified by the adjective multi
because the disciplines of sociology, rural sociology, social anthropology, psychology, political
science and economics also study stratification. Because of its multi-disciplinary nature, its
approaches to study are also different. We can categorise them into two parts : (1) Marxist, and
(2) non-Marxist or Weberian. As stated above, the Marxist analyse the social stratification in terms
of made of production. Such an approach is historical and takes into consideration the conceptual
framework of production forces and production relations. The Marxist approach to stratification
has several variants but mode of production remains the prime framework.
The Weberian approach to stratification takes into consideration the concepts of wealth, power
and prestige. Wealth, for example, may be defined by occupational category and its accompanying
ability to produce income, or by inherited valuables such as real estate. Prestige refers to honour
and style of life; for example, how elegant one’s life-style is. Power refers to the ability to control
or dominate the course of events which make up social life. Thus positions in a society are ranked
in terms of the amount of those desirables that are attached to them. Stratification, then, involves
inequality because the higher the rank of a position, the more desirable one can get by holding
that position.
When we look at rural social stratification we either stress on the mode of production that is the
owners of the land, types of peasants, role of technology in production, surplus for market and
circulation of labourers. By way of example the study conducted by Jan Breman, entitled, Of

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