The Conflict Theory in sociology is one of the key perspectives for understanding social dynamics. Karl Marx can be considered as one of the most influential sociologists, who introduced the idea of conflict and classes as the main catalyzers of the confrontations. He actively advocated for revolutions, where the working class needs to fight for its future and power. One of the most determining factors for the given concept is inequality, which creates a wealth and power disparity among the groups. It is stated that Marx’s ideas got transformed and modified to apply to gender, race, and sexual orientation-based conflicts. In other words, the perspective is multifaceted, and it can explain a wide range of social interactions. Therefore, the initial and basic concepts in sociology are the concepts of the social group and social structure, social action and social interaction, social stratification, and social status. Moreover, the more complex society is, the more orderly and organized individual behavior is, the more complex the mechanisms of this orderliness and organization.
The Conflict Theory is still relevant today, because wealth disparity, racism, and sexism are becoming more and more prominent due to increased exposure. For example, “Black Lives Matter” protests are based on the notion of race, where White institutions oppress African Americans. It can be most evidently seen in the case of police brutality and law enforcement in general. In addition, feminism is also based on Marx’s ideas of conflict, where patriarchal society diminishes women’s roles and rights. The real meaning and place of the confrontations in public life can be determined based on clarifying the consequences or the direction of its impact on society as a whole or on certain spheres of its life in a certain time frame.
Bibliography
Simon, Richard. “The Conflict Paradigm in Sociology and the Study of Social Inequality: Paradox and Possibility.” Theory in Action 9, no. 1 (2016): 1-31.