Blackwell Reference Online

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Several theories of social stratification have emerged from the discipline of sociology. The ultimate focus of this body of knowledge has quite clearly been the production of a comprehensive understanding of inequality within and across human societies over time and place. Yet, few theories have constructed adequate working models of stratification that satisfy geographical and historical particularities. Gerhard Lenski's ecological-evolutionary theory of social stratification, however, has quite adequately addressed the research question and has come closest to attaining the goal. His theory was, for the first time ever in the discipline, able to provide a causal explanation of how things came to be ( Huber 2004 ). Indeed, Lenski's ecological-evolutionary theory attempts to comprehensively explain the ultimate and proximate causes of societal differences. Although Lenski addressed many realms of societal difference, the focus here is specifically on the relationship between subsistence technology, ideology, and social stratification. The theory argues that subsistence technology, “The technology that is used by the members of a society to obtain the basic necessities of life” ( Lenski & Nolan 2004 : 366), is the key factor in making possible (but not determining) societal differences, including the level of stratification within and across societies. Within societies, ideology, ... log in or subscribe to read full text