Sociology concepts and applications

¶ … Rules America?' By G. William Domhoff

Does the book primarily rely on a structural, symbolic interactionist or conflict theoretical perspective to understand and explain the behavior or event it is studying.

Discuss what your book has to say about social inequality, whether social economic, gender, race, ethnicity or age.

If your book describes a social problem or an undesirable condition in society, discuss the a) discrepancy between the actual and the ideal, b) intended and unintended consequences, and c) "moral crusader."

Domhoff, G. William. Who Rules America? Power and Politics in the Year 2000.

William Domhoff's Who Rules America is an insightful look into the sociology of modern America. Written from a conflict and structural functionalist perspective, the book largely feels that individual choices are determined by society. Dumhoff suggests that the root of most social inequalities comes from the existence of a power elite that control social and economic power in the United States.

Dumhoff argues that America's upper class has obtained social and economic power through contemporary American politics. He notes that social inequality, whether attributed to gender, race, ethnicity or age factors, all springs from the same social and economic basis. Dumhoff notes that a few wealthy individuals (power elite) control the United States. He notes that these power elites tend to dominate both the government and the economy, effectively ruling the political and social system of the U.S.

Domhoff's analysis is clearly not based on the symbolic-interactionist perspective. His analysis relies very little on the classical symbolic -interactionist view that the interaction between individuals forms the basis of society. His book certainly does not comply with the symbolic-interactionist belief that individuals are partially free to make their own social words. As such, the author can be seen as taking a much more determinist approach than the symbolic -interactionist theory would allow.

Domhoff's analysis has a clear basis in conflict theory. He clearly believes that groups within society compete for what appear to be unequal power and scarce resources. As a result, he argues that the ruling elite is in conflict with the poorer in American society. He sees society as a struggle between the different groups, all who have different self-interests. Further, the author considers human beings to be largely constrained by society, another hallmark of conflict theory.

Who Rules America also contains some elements of structural functionalism. He sees American society as relatively stable and patterned - a key component of structural functionalism. Further, Domhoff's America is made up of a number of independent but interrelated segments, each governed by specific mores and beliefs. Like a true structural functionalist, Dumhoff sees society in terms of statuses that are interconnected to form institutions that are in turn dependent on larger society. In this book, the author sees individual actions as clearly determined by the larger society.

Certainly, Domhoff's assertion that America is largely controlled by the upper class goes strongly against the democratic nature of our society. The existence of a power elite is truly against the founding principles of this country, and yet Dumhoff makes a clear case for the existence of this sort of power structure.

Ironically, Dumhoff notes that the large number of Americans believe that the general public exerts control of American politics and finance. In blatant disregard of this assertion, almost 25% of private wealth and close to 50% of corporate stock are held by the upper class. Dumhoff notes that power in America ultimately comes from works of these few people.