Law and Inequality: Race, Gender…and, of Course, Class
By Carroll Seron and Frank Munger
Seron and Munger article picks up where Galanter left off in his discussion of law and society and the influence of class on legal proceedings. In fact, they even make reference to his piece on the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ in order to establish the rift that exists between social classes. At the same time, they also utilize his rather ambiguous use of the word ‘haves’ in order to sum up a the lack of social theory defining and characterizing social class in the context of law, just as class hasn’t been entirely theorized or defined by social scientists. This is something that Seron and Munger feel is a problem.
Class, while often thought of as highly influential in the courtroom, has largely been unexplored in theory and explanations in terms of law and society. It is applied to social problems, but not necessarily developed in theories. This is an important point, considering the role of social scientists in evaluating problems at their root. How can you seek improvement or begin to offer solutions if you haven’t fully examined the issue and developed further rational thought?
As the authors note in the conclusion, “Research without a structural concept of class impoverishes our understanding of law and inequality.” How do we study class? Do we understand class in the greater scope of the world and how it impacts society’s encounters with the law?
It seems almost funny that class has been so overlooked by social theorists, because, at least in my mind, its impact on a number of issues is largely unmatched by anything but race or gender. I suppose it’s not necessarily that it’s been overlooked but a more concrete understanding of depth of the role that it plays has yet to be developed. Class structure is incredibly complex, and as Seron and Munger point out, many of our terms used to describe class are ambiguous when applied to certain groups, especially in today’s society as class lines become more and more blurred, at least in terms of the middle class.
What exactly is a middle class American? I am from New Hampshire, and based on my family’s income level and the luxuries we are able to afford, I would classify my family as middle class. However, my roommate from Long Island also classifies himself as middle class. I have been to his home. I have seen his lifestyle. He will graduate without any student loans, while my accumulated total will significantly higher. Clearly, our understandings of middle-class are different, and I think this sort of exemplifies the problem within our current modes of thinking. They are outdated, they are somewhat obscure, and our understanding of class needs to be remolded before we can accurately address it as an issue.
By Carroll Seron and Frank Munger
Seron and Munger article picks up where Galanter left off in his discussion of law and society and the influence of class on legal proceedings. In fact, they even make reference to his piece on the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ in order to establish the rift that exists between social classes. At the same time, they also utilize his rather ambiguous use of the word ‘haves’ in order to sum up a the lack of social theory defining and characterizing social class in the context of law, just as class hasn’t been entirely theorized or defined by social scientists. This is something that Seron and Munger feel is a problem.
Class, while often thought of as highly influential in the courtroom, has largely been unexplored in theory and explanations in terms of law and society. It is applied to social problems, but not necessarily developed in theories. This is an important point, considering the role of social scientists in evaluating problems at their root. How can you seek improvement or begin to offer solutions if you haven’t fully examined the issue and developed further rational thought?
As the authors note in the conclusion, “Research without a structural concept of class impoverishes our understanding of law and inequality.” How do we study class? Do we understand class in the greater scope of the world and how it impacts society’s encounters with the law?
It seems almost funny that class has been so overlooked by social theorists, because, at least in my mind, its impact on a number of issues is largely unmatched by anything but race or gender. I suppose it’s not necessarily that it’s been overlooked but a more concrete understanding of depth of the role that it plays has yet to be developed. Class structure is incredibly complex, and as Seron and Munger point out, many of our terms used to describe class are ambiguous when applied to certain groups, especially in today’s society as class lines become more and more blurred, at least in terms of the middle class.
What exactly is a middle class American? I am from New Hampshire, and based on my family’s income level and the luxuries we are able to afford, I would classify my family as middle class. However, my roommate from Long Island also classifies himself as middle class. I have been to his home. I have seen his lifestyle. He will graduate without any student loans, while my accumulated total will significantly higher. Clearly, our understandings of middle-class are different, and I think this sort of exemplifies the problem within our current modes of thinking. They are outdated, they are somewhat obscure, and our understanding of class needs to be remolded before we can accurately address it as an issue.
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