Summary VARIOUS CONCEPTS AND STUDIES GIVEN BY EMILE DURKHEIM
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Course
SOCM2301T
Institution
Punjabi University Patiala
EMILE DURKHEIM'S STRUCTURAL-FUNCTIONAL APPROACHES
1. Durkheim's sociologism,
2. concepts of social facts and collective representation
3. the rules of sociological methods
4. studies of division of labor
5. study of suicide
6. study of religion
concept of social facts and collective representation
structural functional approaches
the rules of sociological method
studies of divion of labour
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Punjabi University Patiala
SOCM2301T
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EMILE DURKHEIM - (1858-1917)
Born in LORRAINE, France in a Jew family.
Wanted to be a Rabbi later denounced Religion (Judaism).
Graduated from ECOLE Normale Superior, did Ph. D from the University of Bordeaux.
2 Professors had impact on him Foustel De Coulenges (learnt use of Historical Data in Social Research) & Emile
Boutroux.
Ph. D – 2 Thesis: in Univ of Boudreaux - a) In LATIN – On Enlightenment thinker Rousseau.
b) In FRENCH – On Social Division of Labour in Society (1893).
MAJOR WORKS :-
a. 1893 – SOCIAL DIVISION OF LABOUR IN SOCIETY.
b. 1895 – THE RULES OF SOCIOLOGICAL METHOD.
c. 1897 – SUICIDE. (Best application of his +ve methodology)
d. 1912 – ELEMENTARY FORMS OF RELIGIOUS LIFE (laid foundations of Functional Sociology).
1898 – Journal – La Anne Sociologique (The Sociological Annual) – Forum for discussion on Social Research. 1st
Article: COLLECTIVE REPRESENTATION.
1906 – Professor in Education Soborne University, Paris.
Died in 1916.
SOCIAL CONDITIONS DURING HIS TIME
French Revolution – 1789
1815 Monarchy restored
1830 Bourbon established.
1848 IInd Republic under Napoleon.
1860’s Germany under Bismarck & William Kaiser unification & consolidation drive.
1870 Bismarck attacked Austria Napoleon III attacked Germany Napoleon lost in Franco German War
overthrow of Napoleon III.
IIIrd Republic -1870-71 New constitution
1871 civil war Paris Commune Uprising workers organized into communes declared independence from
Govt.
Workers v/s Army workers uprising crushed.
Education church controlled v/s Secular society divided.
1890 – Panama canal affair.
Anti Semitism (Jew) feeling arose Jews were considered as the cause of defeat in the Franco Prussian War Jews
were seen as traitors.
Rapid Industrialization + Impoverished Labour force Spread of Marxian ideas.
French Revolution, Franco Prussian Wars, IInd & IIIrd Republic, Civil War, Rapid Industrialization, Impoverished
Workers, Rising Population + Poor Social Conditions = Chaos & disorder in the French Society.
His main concern was the restoration of order & stability in the society through social laws forming the basis of
social reform Possible only through foundation of a Positive science of society. Societal Determinism
precedence to Society over individual.
Predisposed towards search for a Moral Social Order, Explored causes of Social Disorganization.
He was influenced by French Intellectual traditions Montesquieu, Rousseau.
Agreed with Comte Sociology Knowledge Social Reconstruction.
, 2
Disagreed with Comte Sociology only gathers knowledge Social Reform should be left to administration &
govt.
BASIC PREMISE
1. Sociological Realism – concern with social reality.
2. Functional contribution of interconnected parts.
1. SOCIOLOGICAL REALISM – concern with Social Reality.
The core of Durkheim’s approach is described as Sociological Realism he ascribed ultimate reality to the
GROUP over Individual.
When individuals enter into definite relations to form collectivities a new level of reality comes into
existence Social Reality.
SOCIAL REALITY = Shared aspects of Social life belonging to the group.
Only Collectivity should be the area of investigation of the Sociologist.
Durkheim tried to draw a boundary b/w Sociology and other sciences.
FUNDAMENTAL ASSUMPTIONS:
a) Social reality is EMERGENT and exists at MULTIPLE LEVELS.
b) Social reality is AUTONOMOUS, it has an INDEPENDENT EXISTENCE of its own.
c) Social reality is a UNIFIED WHOLE- made up of INTERDEPENDENT parts.
d) Social Reality cannot be understood in terms of its constituent parts mind is a psychic reality, brain is a
biological reality.
e) Parts + Parts = new distinct reality = SUI GENERIS REALITY.
Individuals enter patterned relationships new reality emerges SUI GENERIS REALITY can be studied only by
a Distinct POSITIVE SCIENCE of Society.
This new science must be built on the lines of Positive sciences, as social reality has its own objective existence
independent of the members who comprise it.
This new reality is manifested in shared aspects of group life these aspects are the NEW RULES that govern
behavior.
Durkheim viewed Society as an integrated whole made up of interdependent and interconnected parts.
Parts contribution towards the fulfillment of a Social Need= FUNCTION.
These contributions of the parts enable the society to persist. An attempt to explain the persistence of society must
take into account the consequences of the parts for the society as a whole.
Why did he choose Social Reality? Because:
1. Egoistic Individualism was a cause of deep concern in those times.
2. Wanted to establish Sociology as a separate discipline if subject matter is individual then Sociology is
reduced to Psychology.
3. Individual part of a larger reality this reality shapes individual behaviour. So individualism would be a
reductionist approach.
SUBJECT MATTER
1. Aspect of Collectivity, SUI GENERIS
2. SOCIAL FACTS
A science can only have a status of being a distinct discipline if (a) It has a separate subject matter, (b) The subject
matter is empirically accessible and amenable to sensory observation, (c) variations in the phenomena can be
explained by a cause.
He viewed Society as a reality Sui Generis, distinct from that of its members, and it is this distinctive aspect of
Collectivity that constitutes the subject matter of Sociology.
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