soc 300 - emile durkheim

social fact

observe them, describe them, classify them, look for laws explaining them

“rules of sociological methods”

1895, Emilie Durkhiem

power of coercion

acting, thinking, feeling, based on society

are we free?

no, we must allowed society rules/expectations

goal of education

is to socialize each member of society to be proper members of that society

what makes something a social fact?

collective aspect of the belief, tendencies, and practices of a group

“the social construction of reality”

Peter Burger and Thomas Luckmann

importance of communication

the system of signs and words that I use to communicate my thoughts to others…function independently of my use of them

collective habits don’t exist only in the action of individual

how to discover social facts?

marriage or suicide

marriage and suicide

done by individuals and they can appear quite private in nature

statistical measures

looking at averages, get a state of the collective soul (ex: rates of suicide)

sociology for Durkheim

sociology is the study of social facts

“The Gift”

Marcel Mauss

how to observe social facts?

treat social fact as thing, with own reality, and not as concepts in our mind only

tips for Durkhienm (better explanation in the suicide)

first, systematically rid yourself of all preconceived ideas

second, operationalize your data in advance and then examine all cases that fit your definition

third, consider social facts from a point distant from their individual manifestations

“Le Suicide”

1897, Emilie Durkheim

defining a concept

cannot use everyday language, one can only explain what can be compared

two methodological advices

define clearly the concepts you use, compare similar facts

Durkheim definition of suicide

“suicide is any death which results directly or indirectly from a positive or negative act by the victim and which the victim”

sociology aspect of suicide

doesn’t take into account: physiological makeup of individuals, the physical environment

four types of suicide

altruistic, fatalistic, egoistic, anomic

egoistic suicide

most common in pre industrial society

reflects a prolonged sense of not belonging, not be integrated into society

altruistic suicide

most common in industrial society

sense of being overwhelmed by a groups goals and beliefs

anomic suicide

more common in industrial society

individuals moral confusion and lack of social direction, which is related to dramatic social and economic upheaval

fatalistic suicide

more common in pre industrial society

occurs when their futures are pitilessly blocked and passions choked by oppressive discipline

education

individual do not create the customs and ideas of the education of our times

“Eduction et Sociolgie”

Emilie Durkheim

defining education based on the function

consider all the education systems that have ever existed, common characteristics will form definition

influences of the third republic

education of our children should not depend upon the chance of where they were born, or to which parent

because each child must be prepared for a job, at a certain age education is not the same for everyone

secondary socialization

the same helping use to live together

should not be absent in any of its members

primary socialization

being a member of our group

the particular social groups to which the child belongs

homogeneity

fixing the character of the child the essential similarities which the collective life demands

diversity

itself being diverse and specialized

individual being

one is made up of all the mental states which apply only to ourselves and the events of our personal life, our individual being, “I am”

social being

religious beliefs, moral beliefs and practices, national traditions, professional traditions, collective opinions of all kinds

“Social Contract”

Jean Rousseau

religion vs. science

before the establishment of scenes we had religion doing same job. both social institutions

right of family in education

opposed to the rights of state, family responsibility to oversee moral and intellectual development

right of state in education

if education has a collective function, its object is to adapt the child to the social context

“Revolutionary Catechim”

Bakunin

different view on education

children belong neither to their parents nor to society. they belong to themselves and to their own future liberty

cost of social cohesion

liberty is the daughter of authority. for to be free is to be master of oneself, to know how to act responsibly, and to do ones duty

what do we gain from submission to authority?

safety

“Division of Labor”

1893, Emilie Durkheim

political project of Durkheim

make it better, attain the ideals to which we aspire

third republic and science vs religion

religion use to create way of life/rules

“God is dead”

1883, Nietzsche

division of labor

principle source of cohesion of later civilization

organic solidarity

the division of labor means we need each other

mechanical solidarity

positive, solidarity, laws on similarity, tribe living

solidaristic system

each of the jobs they do is fixed and dependent upon others

"Leviathan”

1651, Thomas Hobbes

“Second Treatise of Government”

1689, John Locke

the anomic division of labor

abnormal forms exist when the division of labor does not produce solidarity

“Elementary forms of religious life”

1912, Emile Durkheim

methodological consideration

find the origin of the system, because it had not been affected by other variations

religion and function

responds to some human needs, some aspect of life, individual or social

1905 French law on separation of church and state

neutrality of state, freedom of religion, public powers related to the church

importance of first societies

different when looking at inferior societies, “primitive” civilizations are best cases for finding what is common to all

social arrangement of time and space

borrowed from social life, a calendar expresses the rhythm of collective activity at the same time that it functions to ensure its regularity

externalization

humans create a meaningfully ordered worldview, humans create an artificial world, create culture. “there”

objectivism

forgot that human create an artificial world, becomes a fact, “there for everyone”

internalization

structure of culture becomes the ordered structure of individual human consciousness, “there for me”