9.2 Systems of Inequality

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

  • Explain the meanings of the terms racism, Whiteness, and White supremacy.
  • Differentiate between economic, social, and cultural capital in relation to class or social mobility.
  • Explain the relationship between capitalism and social inequalities.
  • Describe gender relations, patriarchy, and oppression.

Many introductory anthropological texts will examine how types of social stratification align with modes of production. This text has something of a different focus, critically considering what it means for some lives to matter more or less than others. This section looks at how modern modes of production create systems of social inequalities such as racism, classism, and sexism.

This lesson has no exercises.

The content of this course has been taken from the free Anthropology textbook by Openstax