Social Inequalities - Agency

Social Inequalities ANTH 2301 Agency The notion of agency, or the capacity for action and decision-making, has grown in importance in anthropology because it offers a sophisticated understanding of the interactions between people and strong organisations. Understanding how structure and agency interact is essential to understanding how society operates and how each person fits into these systems. The British sociologist Anthony Giddens developed the theoretical framework of agency and structuration, which has been crucial in the development of ideas examining how people interact with systems. Giddens defines systems as the strong, allencompassing institutions and ideologies that structure the world and shape how people move through it. These structures frequently have become so embedded in society that people seldom acknowledge them or challenge them, despite the fact that they progressively influence people's choices and behaviours. This perspective emphasises how decisions made by people are always influenced and limited by the systems in which they function. The theories of agency and structuration are important tools for studying social inequality because they provide light on how systems with uneven access to resources affect how decisions are made. People's options in these kinds of institutions differ greatly depending on a wide range of factors, including socioeconomic position, race, gender, and other identifying markers. People with greater riches and authority are frequently offered more options and more freedom to make their own decisions. As such, individuals have a greater degree of control over the systems within which they exist, allowing them to sculpt and reshape these frameworks by their choices. This power relationship highlights how agency plays a part in upholding or undermining social structures. By adding the idea of habitus—a term that describes the deeply entrenched behaviours, attitudes, and abilities that people acquire via their life experiences and socialisation processes—French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu expanded on these concepts. Understanding habitus is essential to comprehending how human acts both preserve and modify society systems. Bourdieu posits that an individual's habitus is influenced by their place in the social hierarchy, which includes a range of capital forms (economic, social, cultural, and symbolic) that impact their beliefs and behaviours. People are able to negotiate and replicate the cultural systems in which they are enmeshed, such as capitalism, class structures, racial hierarchies, or patriarchal standards, because of these deeply established habits and dispositions. Habitus functions as a creative force, which means that in addition to limiting behaviour, it also promotes innovation and change. knowledge the dynamic character of social systems requires a knowledge of this dual element of habitus. For example, a number of historical adjustments and alterations have led to the current state of the capitalist system. It has changed over time to represent the many interests and behaviours of people and groups through a variety of smaller choices, actions, and outcomes. The modern version of capitalism is dynamic, always changing due to changes in social movements, market forces, economic policy, and technology. Numerous historical and modern instances demonstrate how habitus and societal change interact. For example, the labour movements of the 19th and 20th centuries were propelled by people and organisations who, in spite of the limitations imposed by their socioeconomic status, banded together to demand equitable pay and improved working conditions. By opposing the established capitalist systems, they brought forth important reforms including social programmes, unionisation, and labour regulations. Subsequent generations, who grew up with different expectations and opportunities regarding labour and social justice, were impacted by these developments in turn. Comparably, modern social movements—like those that support gender equality, environmental sustainability, and racial equality—show that people may still make changes within the framework of established institutions. Activists and advocates confront prevailing institutions and work for reforms that represent more sustainable and equitable practices by drawing on their experiences and habits. Their attempts demonstrate the generative nature of habitus, as these fights give rise to new norms and values that progressively alter social structures. Furthermore, the idea of habitus clarifies why social injustices continue to exist. People from marginalised groups, for example, frequently encounter structural obstacles that restrict their access to opportunities and resources. The practice of internalising and reproducing society norms and expectations reinforces these limitations. But as long as marginalised people and groups keep up their resistance to and challenges of these systems in their pursuit of more fairness and inclusion, there is still room for change. To sum up, the ideas of agency, structuration, and habitus offer a thorough framework for comprehending the intricate relationships that exist between people and social institutions. The dual nature of structure—that is, how systems simultaneously permit and restrict individual behavior—is highlighted by Anthony Giddens' structuration theory. The concept of habitus proposed by Pierre Bourdieu clarifies further how deeply entrenched tendencies both shape and are shaped by social systems. When taken as a whole, these ideas demonstrate the dynamic and generative character of social systems and show how people have the power to both replicate and alter the structures in which they live. By using this perspective, we may better understand the continuous mechanisms that propel social change and the tenacious efforts to alleviate social injustices.