Oscar Lewis

Theory of Poverty
Theory
Reporter: Jeannette Jeanne Tubongbanua

Oscar Lewis
American Anthropologist
Born on December 25, 1914 in upstate
New York
Presented the culture of poverty in
his studies of the Mexican families
Lewis attempt to show the existence of
culture of poverty that produces
personality and value differences
among the poor.

Culture of Poverty
A set of factors or events by which
poverty, once started, is likely to
continue unless there is outside
intervention
A phenomenon where poor families
become impoverished from one
generation to the next

Cycle of Poverty

Causes of Poverty

Lewis Culture of Poverty

Lack of participation to major institutions in
larger societies due to discrimination, fear,
apathy and suspicion
Have critical attitude towards dominant classes
or in high positions, hatred of the police, mistrust
in the government and even the church which
likely results in protest and being used in political
movements against existing social order
Marriage is ideal but few will marry

Lewis Culture of Poverty

Early initiation to sex
High abandonment of wives and children
and mother-centered families
Weak ego structure and confusion of
sexual identification
Strong present-time orientation

Breaking the cycle

Millennium Development Goals by 2015:
1.To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2.To achieve universal primary education
3.To promote gender equality
4.To reduce child mortality
5.To improve maternal health
6.To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
7.To ensure environmental sustainability[1]
8.To develop a global partnership for development[2]

Max Webers
Religious Theory of
Development

Max Weber
Born 1864, Thuringia
Father was wealthy civil servant who was
highly involved in both politics and
academics, Mother was a devout Calvinist
For Christmas one year he wrote two
analytical essays to give to his parents as
gifts
Attended law school
Spent some time in the military

Webers Sociology of Religion

Aims not to seek the essence of
religion but to study the conditions
and effects of a particular type of social
action with respect to religion
Saw religion as one of the core forces in
the society
Introduced in studying religion the
concepts of Theodicy and Soteriology

Webers Sociology of Religion

Theodicy is the problem of how the
extraordinary power of such a god may
be reconciled with the imperfection of
the world that he has created and rules
over.

Soteriology is the problem of

salvation and how to achieve it

Webers Sociology of Religion

The Religion of China: Confucianism and Taoism
Confucianism:
developed from the teachings of the Chinese
philosopherConfucius
The core is humanistic
The belief that human beings are fundamentally good, and
teachable, improvable, and perfectible through personal
and communal endeavour especially self-cultivation and
self-creation. Confucian thought focuses on the cultivation
of virtue and maintenance of ethics.

Webers Sociology of Religion

The Religion of China: Confucianism a
nd
Taoism
Taoism
draws conclusions from yin and yan
- emphasize various themes of the
naturalness, spontaneity, simplicity and
detachment from desires

Webers Sociology of Religion

The
Religion of India: The Sociology of Hinduism and Buddh
ism
Like Confucianism in China, Hinduism in India was a
barrier for capitalism. The Indian caste system
(theBrahmins- priests, theKshatriyas- warriors,
theVaisyas- merchants, theSudras- laborers and
theuntouchables)
It made it very difficult for individuals to advance in
the society beyond their caste. Activity, including

Webers Sociology of Religion

Ancient Judaism
Judaism is considered by religious Jews to be the
expression of the covenantal relationship
thatGodestablished with the Children of Israel
Weber claimed that Judaism fathered both Christianity
and Islam
Christianity believes on Jesus Christ as the son of God,
when on the other hand Islam consider him as a
phophet

Economy and Religion

Religious denominations affect economics by creating bonds
of trust and shared commitment among small groups, both
necessary qualities for lending and trade.
These two factors interrelate each other as the study in
Harvard University showed that most strikingly, if belief in
hell jumps up sharply while actual church attendance stays
flat, it correlates with economic growth.
Belief in heaven also has a similar effect, though less
pronounced. Mere belief in God has no effect one way or the
other. Meanwhile, if church attendance actually rises, it

Economy and Religion

The proponent of the study Rachel McCleary says:
From a strictly economic standpoint - as economies
develop and people can earn more money, their time
becomes more valuable. For economic growth, she
says, What you want is to have people have their
children grow up in a faith, but then they should
become productive members of society. They shouldnt
be spending all their time in religious services.