Conflict Theory Collins

Randall CollinsRandall Collins

•Conflict theory

•Social transmission and reproduction

•Educational stratification

What, according to Collins, are the weaknesses of the

Functionalist approach?

How does the “Marxist” approach differ from the Functionalist approach?

Collins calls his approach

Weberian” What does he mean by that term?

Max Weber

• Social stratification results from conflicts between and among interest groups– Economic (class)– Political (party)– Cultural (status

groups)

Collins calls his approach

Weberian” What does he mean by that term?

Collins identifies 3 models of education

• Practical– This is closest to the Marxian view that education

meets the economic/labor needs of society. • (class stratification)

• Status Group– Ritual and ceremony convey membership in a

cultural group.• Group determines what is legitimate knowledge and

who belongs • Pierre Bourdieu’s “Cultural Capital”

• Bureaucratic– Rules and regulations, impersonal, objective,

specialization, hierarchical, technical rational• Credentials determine status and role

What is “status-group”

education?

What is “status-group”

education?

Why is are educational institutions frequently

“bureaucratic”?

What are the three demands for education that Collins sees

as part of a cultural market

What are the three demands for education that Collins sees

as part of a cultural market