S New Zealand/Aotearoa a Classless Society - 4186 Words

Introduction to Sociology and Community Development CSTU 5110-2167 Lecturer: Dr Denys Delany ESSAY IS NEW ZEALAND/AOTEAROA A CLASSLESS SOCIETY? DISCUSS – IF SO WHAT DEFINES THIS STRUCTURE? – IF NOT WHAT IS THE MAIN BASIS OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION IN NEW ZEALAND/AOTEAROA? Due date: 13th April 2007 Student Name: Ali Rankin Student ID: 1282990 Email: (ali_rankin@hotmail.com) Address: 49 Alfriston Road, Manurewa, Auckland Phone: 021 102 9454 I declare the following to be my own work, unless otherwise referenced, as defined by Unitec New Zealand’s policy on plagiarism. This essay will argue that New Zealand/Aotearoa is not a†¦show more content†¦More recently, Giddens (1997, p. 243) defines class â€Å"as a large scale grouping of people who share common economic resources, which strongly influence the type of lifestyle they are able to lead. He continues in this definition that the â€Å"ownership of wealth, together with occupation are the chief bases of class differences†. The similarities to Marx’s theory are apparent, although this definition does not inextricably link class divisions to the mode of production. This essay will adopt Marx’s definition of class in examining class as a form of stratification in New Zealand. Most discussions regarding class adopt a position that it is related to work and economic life; that it is determined (at least at some level) by employment status and financial affluence. Conversely, the neo-Weberian theory postulates that position in the housing market broadly determines class, (McLennan et al., 2004) and although this appears valid it is my opinion that culture rather than class underpins this theory. This view is supported by Conley (2001) in her study on housing and social stratification. I find it is often as difficult to separate class from culture and ethnicity as it is to separate class and stratification, since they each contain elements common to each other. Day (2001, p. 200) supports this view in stating thatShow MoreRelatedThe Key Ideas Presented By Poata Smith ( 2004 ) And Richard Pringle Essay1902 Words   |  8 PagesPoata-Smith (2004) acknowledges that the Crown alongside the New Zealand Government, although not responsible for the actions of it s predecessors, has taken steps to accept its obligations to the Treaty of Waitangi and to the Maori people and to recognise breaches of the treaty principles that it has made (p.59). The New Zealand Government, in its attempt to settle past treaty grievances surrounding wrongful confiscation of land has divided Maori society in two: a division between the Maori working class and