Unnatural Wills: Inheritance Disputes and Inequality.

IF 3.3 2区社会学 Q1 SOCIOLOGY

British Journal of Sociology Pub Date : 2025-07-23 DOI:10.1111/1468-4446.70016

Shay O'Brien

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Within the conceptual frame of relational economic sociology, inheritance disputes are a canonical form of relational mismatch. But the social patterning of relational mismatches, and their various ties to inequality, remain murky. In this paper, I examine all known inheritance disputes in Dallas from 1895-1945 within their social context to generate hypotheses about the relationship between inequality and mismatches more broadly. Inheritance disputes were usually resolved by increasing the spread of fortunes; in this sense, they moderated wealth inequality between individuals. But not everyone was equally able to make their preferred estate distribution a reality. Using a series of case studies, I argue that dispute resolutions tended to reify normative family structures and naturalize sharp, moralized distinctions between fuzzy social categories. The legal resolutions to this class of relational mismatches may marginally mitigate individual-level wealth inequality and simultaneously produce categorical inequalities by race, class, gender, sexuality, and family structure. I conclude with a set of hypotheses and questions for future studies.

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非自然遗嘱：继承纠纷与不平等。

在关系经济社会学的概念框架内，继承纠纷是关系错配的一种典型形式。但是，关系不匹配的社会模式，以及它们与不平等的各种联系，仍然模糊不清。在本文中，我在其社会背景下研究了1895-1945年达拉斯所有已知的遗产纠纷，以产生关于更广泛的不平等和不匹配之间关系的假设。遗产纠纷通常通过增加财产分配来解决；从这个意义上说，他们缓和了个人之间的财富不平等。但并不是每个人都有同样的能力让自己喜欢的遗产分配成为现实。通过一系列的案例研究，我认为争端解决倾向于使规范的家庭结构具体化，并使模糊的社会类别之间尖锐的、道德化的区别自然化。这类关系不匹配的法律解决方案可能会略微缓解个人层面的财富不平等，同时产生种族，阶级，性别，性取向和家庭结构的绝对不平等。最后，我为未来的研究提出了一系列假设和问题。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

British Journal of Sociology SOCIOLOGY-

CiteScore

4.50

自引率

4.80%

发文量

期刊介绍： British Journal of Sociology is published on behalf of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is unique in the United Kingdom in its concentration on teaching and research across the full range of the social, political and economic sciences. Founded in 1895 by Beatrice and Sidney Webb, the LSE is one of the largest colleges within the University of London and has an outstanding reputation for academic excellence nationally and internationally. Mission Statement: • To be a leading sociology journal in terms of academic substance, scholarly reputation , with relevance to and impact on the social and democratic questions of our times • To publish papers demonstrating the highest standards of scholarship in sociology from authors worldwide; • To carry papers from across the full range of sociological research and knowledge • To lead debate on key methodological and theoretical questions and controversies in contemporary sociology, for example through the annual lecture special issue • To highlight new areas of sociological research, new developments in sociological theory, and new methodological innovations, for example through timely special sections and special issues • To react quickly to major publishing and/or world events by producing special issues and/or sections • To publish the best work from scholars in new and emerging regions where sociology is developing • To encourage new and aspiring sociologists to submit papers to the journal, and to spotlight their work through the early career prize • To engage with the sociological community – academics as well as students – in the UK and abroad, through social media, and a journal blog.