Overview
This lecture introduces Émile Durkheim, a founding sociologist, and explores his ideas about what holds societies together, focusing on social facts, common consciousness, and the structural functionalist paradigm.
Durkheim and Historical Context
- Durkheim lived in France (1858-1917) during times of political instability and major societal changes.
- He was concerned with how societies maintain cohesion amid upheaval.
- Durkheim viewed sociology as a scientific discipline, analogous to biology or medicine.
Structure and Function of Society
- Durkheim saw society as an organism whose parts must work together for overall health.
- He founded the structural functionalist approach, analyzing how institutions and practices serve societal needs.
Sociology as a Science
- Durkheim emphasized empirical research and well-defined scientific methods in sociology.
- He pioneered the use of statistical analysis in his book “Suicide.”
- He focused on operationalizing variables and measuring intangible concepts like social integration.
Social Facts
- Social facts are ways of acting, thinking, and feeling external to individuals but exert a coercive influence.
- Examples include political systems, moral beliefs, customs, and holiday traditions.
- Social facts exist outside individuals and exert power over behavior.
Common (Collective) Consciousness
- The common consciousness is the set of beliefs and morals (social facts) shared by a society.
- These beliefs hold society together through their coercive power, even if not everyone believes in them.
Social Dysfunction and Crime
- For Durkheim, dysfunction is like disease: something that impedes normal societal functioning.
- Crime is not necessarily a dysfunction; it is normal and can reinforce society’s morals through punishment.
- Excessive crime signals dysfunction from structural problems in society.
Suicide as a Social Phenomenon
- Durkheim linked rising suicide rates to decreased social integration in modern society.
- He argued that weakened communal bonds lead to isolation and higher suicide.
- Proposed strengthening social organizations, especially workplace-based, to enhance social integration.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Structural Functionalism — theory viewing society as a complex system with interdependent parts functioning together.
- Social Fact — an external way of acting, thinking, or feeling with coercive power over individuals.
- Common (Collective) Consciousness — the shared beliefs and morals that unify a society.
- Social Integration — the degree to which individuals are connected and bound to their society.
- Social Dysfunction — a condition or behavior that disrupts the normal operation of society.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review Durkheim’s concepts of social facts and common consciousness.
- Prepare for the next lecture on Karl Marx and alternative sociological perspectives.