Question

Using the Conflict perspective, discuss how migration can maintain the position of elites in a society.

Answer 1

Conflict theory argues that the elite use their position to ensure that they stay in power. To this end, conflict theorists hold that those in power use it to define existing social problems as the fault of the least powerful in society. The flow of people to a country is often met with displeasure and resistance and the “immigrants” are immediately identified as the problem. At the same time, there is a tendency to overlook the fact that there are multimillion dollar corporations who profit from employing undocumented immigrants and consumers who benefit from cheaper goods.