Émile Durkheim Flashcards
Sociology (Durkheim) (2)
A) is a distinctive science
B) Object: Social facts
Social facts (3)
A) Definition:
1. External to an actor, pre-given
2. Constraint: Coercive power
3. Social: Created by the collective
E.g. crime (bc it is punished)
B) are not things but have to be treated as such in order to study them
C) have to be explained in terms of other social facts
E.g. incest bc religious taboo
Collective consciousness (3)
A) The totality of beliefs and sentiments common to citizens of the same society
B) Fr: ‘la conscience collective’ = conscience and consciousness
C) Inside the individual: coercive power
Collective representations
Representations through which a group understands itself
E.g. soldier dying defending his flag
Division of labour (3)
A) Cause:
Increasing size and density of society
B) Effect:
Increasing individual autonomy
Increasing dependence on society
C) How does it not lead to disintegration of society?
It generates solidarity
Solidarity (2)
A) Mechanical solidarity:
Each member is similar
Based on: Similar beliefs and activities
Individual is absorbed in collective consciousness
B) Organic solidarity:
Each member is different
Based on the division of labour
Solidarity bc everybody does their part for the good of the whole
Religion (4)
A) Divinity is “society transfigured and expressed symbolically”
B) Cause: Collective effervescence
Religion emerges from collective ecstatic experiences (parties🎉)
C) Interpretation:
Religious beliefs = collective representations
Enable reflection
D) Function:
Religious rituals reinforce social cohesion
Functionalism (3)
A) Analysis in terms of function:
How does the part contribute to the whole?
B) Critique:
1. Ignores Dysfunction
2. Function = outcome -> what causes this function to occur?
C) Durkheim:
Function explains why smth continues to exist
