The Sociological Imagination

This document explores the concept of conflict theory and its implications in the study of social inequality. It includes an annotated bibliography on the topic and an essay discussing the Windrush scandal and its impact on Caribbean immigrants in the UK.

The Sociological Imagination
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CONTENTS
Contents...........................................................................................................................................2
Ques: Those with wealth and power try to hold on to it by any means possible, chiefly by
suppressing the poor and powerless................................................................................................3
PART 1: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY...................................................................................3
PART 2: ESSAY.............................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8
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Ques: Those with wealth and power try to hold on to it by any means possible,
chiefly by suppressing the poor and powerless
PART 1: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Simon, R.M., 2016. The Conflict Paradigm in Sociology and the Study of Social Inequality:
Paradox and Possibility. Theory in Action, 9(1).
As per the information presented by author, conflict theory is a major paradigm within
contemporary sociology. This theory presented the competition among social group for scarce
resources and inequality among them toward the fundamental element of social structure. On the
other side, this kind of social inequality results into group conflicts which in turn creates a
greater amount of human misery. This inequality mainly come from the power status of people
which usually try to keep poor people in disadvantage so that their social status can be
maintained. The social orders are mainly dominated by the power instead of any kind of
conformity and consensus. The conflict theorist believes that the competition within the society
remains constant and due to this an overwhelming factor remains within every human interaction
as well as relationship with them. This competition is mainly arising due to scarcity of resources
in term of materialistic things such as property, money, commodity and more. So, factors like
wars and revolution, discrimination and domestic violence, wealth and poverty and conflict
within society over some natural resources can be viewed with eth help of the lens of conflict
theory. This theory of conflict was given by Karl Max, by putting emphases toward the causes
and consequences of particular conflicts within society. The classes within society are
categorised under two segments such as bourgeoisie (who are consider as the owner of mean of
production and capitalist usually rich people) and proletariat (the working class and the poor
people).
Taylor, C., 2020. Representing the Windrush generation: metaphor in discourses then and
now. Critical Discourse Studies, 17(1), pp.1-21.
The conflict theory always remains a part of issues related with the society, economy and
politics due to its concept behind the reason of comparison or competition that always remains
an issue within the society. One of the biggest political issue which has taken place within year
2018 is also one of the great implications for this theory. As the group of people who migrate to
UK between year 1948-1971 are now known as Windrush generation. This group has
experienced an adverse effect over their living within UK due to current holistic environment
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policy which has been imposed by the government over immigrants as they are declared to be
illegal immigrants.
PART 2: ESSAY
As per the theory presented by Karl Marx it purports that because of the society’s never-
ending competition about the limited resources there always remains a state of conflict among
the people within society. This theory state that the people who possess wealth and resources are
try to keep their resources protected and hoard them. On the other side, the person who do not
have resources usually attempt to do whatever they required to do and obtain them. This dynamic
is creating a situation for a constant struggle among the rich and poor people. This theory tries to
explain the social phenomenon using lens which is a natural human instinct toward the conflicts.
As per the information presented by Koop. F., 2019, the social order is maintained by the
power and domination instead of any kind of conformity. Those people who are having wealth
and power try to keep on holding the resources they are having to maintain their status and by
chiefly suppressing the poor people. This theory focuses over the economic, social and political
implication over the rise of capitalism within Europe by theorising over the system of society,
premised over the existence of oppressed majority class as well as powerful minority class. This
creates conflict among different group of society as the interest of two are odd and resources are
also distributed in unjust manner among them. The poor people within society try to reduce this
gap and injustice by working toward earning the resources but on the other side the rich people
usually attempt to suppress the poor people within society in order to keep holding their
resources and letting the poor people over their position.
The conflict theory suggest that this competition remains constant due to scarcity of
resources like property, money, commodity etc. and whenever there become an imbalance, a
shift within power there become a disruption within equilibrium among different social classes
which in turn result into crises. But the larger entities such as companies or specially government
always try to prevent these conflicts by performing actions toward relocating the resources and
distributing the good. Other than this government impose progressive taxes, social assistance,
minimum wages etc. in order to reduce this gap within different group of society so that the
conflicts can be reduced. This conflict theory covers up the concept of economy, social factor
and political condition of the country (Conflict theory, 2020). A greater example of this can be
consider as the situation of Windrush which has taken the immigrant within UK to some
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negative phrase and have a adverse impact on them. The Windrush was a political scandal which
has taken place in year 2018. Under this scandal hundreds of Caribbean immigrants that are
living and working within UK are being wrongly targeted by the immigrant enforcement by the
government due to its hostile environmental policy (Monrose, 2019). This in turn affected the
living standard of people as with the enforcement of this access to services for immigrants has
been made limited. Many of the elder people who are Caribbean immigrants are being barred
from working at several places, refused to get access to governmental services and lost their
access to welfare benefits. These all happens due to the different within the societal group and
due to the conflict, that get rises among human relationship i.e. between the UK citizens and
Caribbean immigrants due to a competition for the resources.
This scandal could be considered as great example for the conflict theory as it truly
represents how the competition for resources make the majority group to suppress the people
belongs to minority group. As per Petter. O., 2020, This problem first came to light in April
2018, when a meeting was held at the Jamaican High Commission in London where the
politicians, campaigners and diplomats were demanding for providing instant remedy for the
developing situation by changing the immigrant system and due to which the Caribbean
immigrants are consider to be illegal immigrants. In this immigrant are denied to have an access
to NHS health care and are being threatened with the deportation. This situation become worsen
for the immigrants because even after passing several years within country that still not able to
get regularise their residency. Hence due to the hostile environment created toward immigrants,
they were stripped over many of their rights as UK citizens unless they are able to prove
themselves as they were a part of UK nationals by presenting the relevant documentation. This
has taken to more disadvantageous condition to immigrants as they do not have such
documentations to prove themselves to be the national of UK and as a result of which the taxes
that immigrant pays for years, hard work they present to several organisations are being
neglected and they are being restricted to have any job or health service access. Many of the
people also get home less after the enforcement of these policies which represent the way in
which conflict among employees leads a part of society to be superior and ruled over another
part of society.
According to the Gower. M., 2020, the issues of Windrush scandal become more
increasingly a problematic for the individuals due to law which detect and discourage illegal
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immigrants that are having proliferates which is consider to be a hostile environment. These
policies are intended to tackle the illegal immigrants by making it more complicated for the
people to get access to public services without any kind of legal status. But this policy has also
affected the people that are without any kind of legal status to get access over the services who
are lawfully the residents of UK who didn’t have any kind of documentary proof to their rights.
This in turn make them face the denied healthcare services, welfare benefits, housing, job and
pension. Within this theory they can resolve the difficulties by applying for the home office in
order to make their status confirm as a national of UK (Windrush scandal explained, 2020).
However, the issues like significant application fees, amount of providing the evidence required
for home office or some of the other additional obstacles are being imposed over the people who
are immigrants. This in turn regularly attracting the criticism. But the government made certain
kind of adjustment toward providing a relief to the torchers that immigrants are facing due to this
policy after they get feedback from the people. Like it has broadened the mitigation policy so
that the decision maker can make consideration over range of actions that are taken by
individuals so that situation can be resolved. This issue get more sever due to inequality which is
speeded throughout the society about the differences or inequality which is harder to cope up due
to the policies which are created against the immigrant (Brown and Rosenberg, 2015). This bring
up a huge change within the life of people who are Caribbean immigrant as they lost their job,
get into financial difficulties and at the same time also let them within a issue of becoming home
less if they are not having any kind of lawful documented proof that they are a part of UK
nationalisation.
These kinds of conflicts are mainly rise within eth society due to a difference that people
with power usually impose over the people who are poor, belongs to minority grow up or due to
lack of power they have toward the other people of the society. These in turn creates competition
among different group of society as it was happening among the Caribbean immigrants as well
as citizens of UK that usually get created inequality within society which is promoted by
suppressing the people who are disadvantageous side. But there are certain bodies which support
in reducing such kind of issues and inequality within society so that each individual get a chance
to earn and manage their resources and be able to live within the society in effective manner.
The government mainly tries to manage the conflict among the societal group by
reallocating the resources among the rich and poor or majority and minority people. Therefore,
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for dealing with this issue several measures are being imposed by government later when the
situation gets more complicated and affecting people very badly. In this regard the government
of UK conduct a review about the historical Caribbean cases that are wrongly targeted by Home
office for removal or complaint environmental section. Other than this, government also
suspended several aspects of hostile environment policy as well as amending the related
guidance (Blackwell, 2020). Despite of all this the government of UK /also taken an initiative
toward establishing a Windrush Taskforce which support in guiding people about who are
eligible for the Windrush scheme. These all contribute a lot in handing the issues which
Caribbean immigrants are facing due to this sudden enforcement of this policy within UK which
affected the people to a great extend whether they are lawfully residence of the country or are not
able to residency within the country both get affected in this situation (Bradby, 2012). Hence, it
can be said that conflict is one of the major issue which affect the living condition of people by
presenting a difference among two group of society due to inequality among them in term of
access to power or resources which allow one part of society to suppress other part of society.
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REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Blackwell, D., 2020. Landscapes of inequality or arenas of conflict? Review essay of ‘Class and
Psychoanalysis: Landscapes of Inequality’by Joanna Ryan. Routledge, Oxford.
2017. Group Analysis, p.0533316420916720.
Bradby, H., 2012. Medicine, health and society. Sage.
Brown, J.D. and Rosenberg, L.R. eds., 2015. Beyond Windrush: Rethinking Postwar Anglophone
Caribbean Literature. Univ. Press of Mississippi.
Monrose, K., 2019. Black Men in Britain: An Ethnographic Portrait of the Post-Windrush
Generation. Routledge.
Simon, R.M., 2016. The Conflict Paradigm in Sociology and the Study of Social Inequality:
Paradox and Possibility. Theory in Action, 9(1).
Taylor, C., 2020. Representing the Windrush generation: metaphor in discourses then and
now. Critical Discourse Studies, 17(1), pp.1-21.
Online
Conflict theory. 2020. [Online] Available through:<
https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/economics/conflict-theory/>.
Gower. M., 2020. Windrush generation: Government action to ‘right the wrongs.’ [Online]
Available through: < https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-
8779/>.
Koop. F., 2019. What is conflict theory? [Online] Available through:<
https://www.zmescience.com/other/feature-post/what-is-conflict-theory-19092019/>.
Petter. O., 2020. WINDRUSH SCANDAL. [Online] Available through:<
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/windrush-generation-scandal-sitting-in-limbo-
anthony-bryan-documentary-a9552281.html>.
Windrush scandal explained. 2020. [Online] Available through:<
https://www.jcwi.org.uk/windrush-scandal-explained>.
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