| ............... |
.
.
| There
are four main theories of global stratification. |
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| The
idea of global stratification is one that looks at inequality or stratification
between whole countries. |
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| We
have a range between rich countries and poor countries, but stratification
means much more than relative per capita income. |
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| The
relations between countries is related to where they are ranked on a stratification
scale. |
.
| Those
relations are mainly economic, but also political and have elements in
all six dimensions. |
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| These
are the four main theories and explanations for global stratification patterns:
(1) imperialism, (2) world system, (3) culture of poverty and (4) dependency
theories. |
.
| While
imperialism goes back in history to the empires of China, Mesopotamia,
Egypt and Rome, it is with the advent of global interaction and colonization
by European countries of the rest of the world where this theory rests. |
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| Exploitation
of colonies set the scene for continued exploitation of natural resources
from them. |
.
| Technically
Canada was a colony, but it also has participated in the exploitation of
colonies in the British Empire. |
.
| Wallerstein
proposed world systems theory identifying the rich countries as core nations,
and those around them as semi periphery and periphery states that depend
upon core nations for trade, providing raw materials for the core nations
to use in manufacture and sell back as finished products. |
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| External
nations, mainly in Asia and Africa, were left out of the trade. |
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| Dependence
theory attributes the low income of least developed nations to the dominance
of most developed nations. |
.
| Singlecrop
economies are associated with least developed nations. |
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| Canada
has elements of both, but being wealthy, tends to benefit from a world
system in spite of being a producer of raw material. |
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| Galbraith
suggested that nations at the bottom of the stratification structure remain
there because they have values, customs, traditions and ways of life that
hinder them from taking risk from breaking out of the constrictions of
poverty, and hold them in place at the bottom. |
.
| This
resembles a “blame the victim” theory. |
.
| The
simulation game, the Power
of Suns, is a good "doing" method to learn about inequality. |
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