conflict sociology

Conflict sociology is a theoretical perspective that views society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and social change. This perspective emerged in the 1960s as a challenge to structural-functionalism, which was seen by some as a conservative ideology that legitimized the status quo. Conflict sociology posits that dominant institutions repress weaker groups, and that conflict is a pervasive element in all aspects of society, including family, economy, polity, and education. This view gained prominence in the United States during the social turmoil of the civil rights struggle and the Vietnam War. While conflict can be divisive, it can also have an integrating and stabilizing effect by identifying social problems.12