Functionalism and Society

Conflict theory is partly a critique of functionalism. For example, functionalism emphasizes the stability of society despite individual experience of anomie or dissociation from society, but conflict theory emphasizes a society that is actually structured around relative/unequal/competing states of power within it. Marxist and feminist commentary criticizes the social structure in terms of its unequal power relationships. Marx connects the notion of political power to class oppression, and feminism connects it to gender-based oppression. Power relationships can only be transformed via revolution, either political (Marx), or social (feminism).

Feminist theorists have noted that male dominance of social institutions--even social theory--has meant that gender roles very much determine the reality of social experience. Rape, domestic abuse, and sexual haras

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ople. Yet not until the events of 9/11 was the US particularly concerned that state-sponsored murder of women had been de rigueur in Afghanistan for some years. Even when Afghanistan was invaded, the reasons had less to do with the misogynist thuggishness of the regime than with its sponsorship of international terrorism. Today, the US seems hardly concerned that woman-hating policy is current in Saudi Arabia, bastion of religious fundamentalism and America's supposedly gallant ally against international terrorism. Thus whatever else should be true about American guarantees of worldwide human rights, consistency would seem to be a useful attribute of policy. Exposing the political, cultural, and religious provenance of state-sponsored misogyny would appear to be a necessary component of such a project. That may cause the US to lose some international friends, but in countries that oppress women as a matter of public policy the US is already despised and envied, and that is the case despite American tendency to ignore rights abuses in order to protect its oil supply. In any case, it is difficult to see how much worse the international image of the US could become, given its current global reputation. Hatred and envy might as well i
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Some common words found in the essay are:
, African Americans, War II, Saudi Arabia, African American, Watergate Iran/Contra, Civil Rights, Europe Africa, Cold War, Declaration Contemporary, human rights, social promotion, world war ii, world war, war ii, civil rights, schaefer 2003, educational system, social structure, sociological imagination, african americans, civil rights movement, opportunities equal rights, socially promoted individuals, war ii holocaust,
Approximate Word count = 4553
Approximate Pages = 18 (250 words per page)

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