Emile Durkheim

• pioneer of sociology
• liberated discipline from mysterious methods & terminology of theology and philosophy

Emile Durkheim

Society has a reality of its own over and above the individuals who comprise it.

Why is Durkheim called father of sociology?

• developed a science of society by clarifying sociology’s subject matter as study of social facts and suggested scientific methods for study
• gave distinctively sociological explanations in his casual functional theories eg suicide, religion
• developed methods specific to sociology, demonstrated their use
• estd. first ever dept. of sociology in Europe and was first professor of sociology

Division of Labour

Info

Splitting of activities in a number of parts or smaller processes undertaken by different persons or group.

• implies specialization within particular activities or occupations
• product of autonomous development of society and is sui generis

Solidarity

• Mechanical
  • social cohesion in pre industrial socieies
  • similar beliefs, values, lifestyle
  • solidarity based on similarity, likeness among individuals
  • ppl have similar roles, perform similar tasks, collective conscience, common set of beliefs, values
  • minimal DoL, high homogeneity
• Organic
  • interdependence of individual w/ specialized roles & functions, complex DoL
  • interdependence
  • individual autonomy in choice & lifestyle
  • weaker collective conscience

Mechanical Solidarity Society	Organic Solidarity Society
differentiation low, primarily based on age, sex	complex differentiation
division of functions is simple	division of functions complex, greater interdependence
all members alike, great collective conscience	member differentiated, interdependent
repressive laws to ensure conformity	reformative laws
prevalent in entire society	among particular interdependent groups

Functions of DoL

Greater efficiency, resources increase, competition peaceful. High material & moral density.

• Integration of society
  • complex DoL $⟹$ high interdependence
• Individual autonomy
  • individuals relatively free and better freedom to innovate

Durkheim

Individual while becomes autonomous comes to depend more heavily on society.

Abnormal forms of DoL

• Anomic DoL
  • unhealthy competition
  • rapid expansion of industrialization
• Inadequate Organization
  • if work not org properly it creates imbalance, conflicts
• Forced DoL
  • distribution of task not in correspondence with the distribution of talent & will
  • inequality of opportunity

Explains why chaos on Europe despite DoL.

	Durkheim	Marx
Approach	Functional	Conflict
Causes	consequence of $\uparrow$ material & moral density. Splization makes possible for harmonious coexistence	not means of cooperation or coexistence. It is a forced process for capitalists to extract profits
Nature	functional, leading to cooperaiton	unequal relationship, legitimizes have/have nots
Consequence	integration	dehumanization, alienation of workers
Solution	make workers conscious of their role in soc. Make them organically linked and involved w/ life of society	capitalism is problem. Pls revolt and get communism.
Both make clear distinction b/w DoL in simple and complex societies and acknowledged that DoL is inevitable.

Social Fact

• influenced by approach of natural sciences

What?

Ways of acting, thinking and feeling which are external to the individual and endowed with power of coercion by reason of which they control him.

What should social science do?

• deal with specific subject matter (not total knowledge)
• aim at identifying general types rather than individual types
• have definite & observable field to explore and study objective reality
• subject matter should yield general principles or laws
• needs methods similar to natural science

4 Characteristics of Social Facts

• Externality: sui generis
• Constraining
• Generality
• Independent (of will of individual)

Thus, social facts are above the individual

2 ways to explain social facts

• determining cause of social facts
  • cause of an SF lies in another SF
  • eg. suicide isn’t individual will, but to be seen thru social facts - population, integration, order etc
• determining functions of social facts
  • SF perform functional pre requisites of society eg maintaining social order
  • collective conscience is the SF that maintains social order

Rules of studying Social Facts

• Rules of observation
  • studied as things, objectively
  • study manifestations
• Rules of classification
  • every social fact not unique; part of broad classification
    • structural or morphological facts: give particular society its appearance
    • institutional SF: institutionalized, accepted by ppl eg. religion, DoL, suicide
    • non institutional facts: still not accepted, but potential of exerting constraints eg. mob behaviour
• Rules of distinction
  • distinction must be made between normal and pathological state
  • eg. certain rate of crime normal, but above a threshold pathological
• Rules of explanation
  • investigator should observe objectivity; no place for personal preoccupataions, biases etc
  • methods similar to natural sciences should be used to study SF
  • explanation of SF must yield general theories

Criticism of Social Fact Theory

• Heidleman: Durkhein more concerned w/ making of society rather than describing methodology
• emphasis on universal & general theories $\leftarrow$ no practical significance
  • acc to Merton, middle range theories required
• Stephen Lukes: ED glorified empiricism & moralism; neglected emotions, individual subjectivity
• Peter Berger: injustice to discipline by ignoring individual human behaviour
• couldn’t explain why same social facts influence different individuals differently

Suicide

• first serious effort to establish empiricism in socio
• real laws are discoverable

Religion & Society