What Is the Meaning of Conflict Theory?
Conflict theory is based on the writings of Karl Marx (1818-1883), a German theorist and political activist. The underlying idea is that conflict in society is the product of an exploitative relationship between social classes, and this same conflict is required for social change.
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Basics
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Marx identifies that at the very least, all human beings have the basic needs of food, water, clothing and shelter. He names two classes which make the social structure--the bourgeoisie and proletariat. The bourgeoisie is the class that controls the modes of production: land, raw materials and machinery--those things that are used to produce food, water, clothing and shelter. Because all human beings need these things but only a few own the means to producing them, those who do not have ownership must sell their labor as a means to acquire what they need.
Exploitation
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The social organization of work will impact all other aspects of life, according to Marx, because it is through our work that we earn the money to buy necessary goods: food, water, clothing and shelter. The owners of the means of production, the bourgeoisie, earn a profit only if they pay their workers, or the proletariat, less than they deserve for their work. This exploitative relationship in the context of work reflects the relationship between the two social classes in all aspects of society.
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Ideology
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The norms and values of society are designed in the interests of the bourgeoisie, or the rich, whose monetary power has greatest influence over art, literature, religious institutions and social life. Marx wrote that while intellectuals in the middle class defend the elite in the hopes of rising in status, all social institutions will continue to uphold elitist ideologies and interests, including such powerful institutions as the law.
Conflict
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The conflict arises in the mutual dependency of the bourgeoisie on the proletariat, and the proletariat on the bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie need the proletariat for their inexpensive labor, and the proletariat need the bourgeoisie to employ and pay them a wage with which they will fulfill their essential needs. However, in any society it is natural that each individual participant will want to advance his economic and social standing. Marx believed that the capitalist structure previously outlined would self destruct in a violent revolution once the working class gained full understanding of its exploited position.
Social Revolution
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This revolution of the exploited class is dependent, according to Marx, on intellectuals willing to engage in praxis, or the combination of political theory and political activism. Social criticism and political activity will increase the chances and speed with which the working class will realize its position and revolt.
Varieties
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Conflict theory takes many forms today, and its branches include feminist theory, queer theory and left realism, among others. In each theory an oppressed societal group expresses its unique conflicts with the present power structure of society, which has historically been male dominated, heteronormative and controlled by the rich. Conflict theory in crimonology focuses on the fundamental causes of crime, which are observed to be social and economic in nature, as the justice system and the law itself operate on behalf of the rich and powerful. According to Marx's teachings, in each instance these unique conflicts will create a revolution when the oppressed class realizes its exploited status and function in society.
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References
- Photo Credit Posta Romana. Marx, Lenin. Timbre postal oblitéré. image by Blue Moon from Fotolia.com
