Social Inequality and Sociocultures

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methaodos.revista de ciencias sociales. Vol. 8 Núm. 1 (2020): Monográfico sobre Sociología de la Cultura y Estudios Culturales
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Published: Mar 16, 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17502/m.rcs.v8i1.331
Keywords:
class, culture, habitus, inequality, socioculture clase, cultura, desigualdad, habitus, sociocultura
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Boike Rehbein
Humboldt Universität zu Berlin

Abstract

Inequality is usually studied with a focus on economic factors, such as income and wealth, and with reference to a brief period of time, basically the period of data collection. This article argues that this approach is misleading and does not allow us to understand inequality, let alone society at large. Inequalities and social hierarchies comprise more than economic factors but also cultural factors, as Pierre Bourdieu has shown. Bourdieu, however, neglected the historical dimension. Classes and habitus types are rooted in long traditions, which have to be studied over centuries, not months or years. Capitalist societies develop hierarchies of social classes, which are shaped by pre-capitalist hierarchies. These earlier hierarchies tend to persist for decades or even centuries after the capitalist transformation. I refer to these earlier hierarchies as sociocultures, since they form not only hierarchies but also cultures, which reproduce from one generation to the next. Edward P. Thompson has demonstrated this with regard to the English working class. In the article, I will introduce the concept of socioculture as it is used in studies of social inequality.

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How to Cite
Rehbein, B. (2020). Social Inequality and Sociocultures. methaodos.Social Science Journal, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.17502/m.rcs.v8i1.331
Issue
Vol. 8 No. 1 (2020): Monograph on Sociology of Culture and Cultural Studies
Section
Articles
Author Biography

Boike Rehbein, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin

Boike Rehbein is Professor for the Study of Transformation and Society in Asia and Africa at Humboldt University Berlin. He received his PhD in philosophy in 1996 and habilitation in 2004 before joining the University of Freiburg in 2004 and Humboldt University in 2009. His areas of specialization include social theory, inequality, globalization and Southeast Asia. He has published 25 books in these fields.

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