David Emile Durkheim Research Paper

Sociology came into existence in the nineteenth century, a fairly new principle than other social sciences. Auguste Comte, a French philosopher, used the term sociology to study society in an approach different from other fields, and that it can be studied systematically. Its main focus is to study social structures by analyzing, evaluating, and critiquing the social aspects of society (Dillon 2014:12-13; 17). Classical sociological theories were mainly referring to works of Auguste Comte, Karl Marx, Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and some other more. The works of these classical sociological theorists gave ideas and inspirations to the modern and post-modern theorists in different parts of the world. One sociological theory is structural functionalism, a macro-level analysis. Emile Durkheim and Robert Merton are both functional theorists, classical and contemporary respectively. Being both functionalists, similarities can be observed in the theories that they have developed such as using the concept of anomie, a condition where there is absence of norms; there are some differences in their use. Additionally, Merton criticized most beliefs that classical structural functionalism had established.

“Treat social facts as things” is an expression that epitomises the works of Emile Durkheim. This essay focuses on four main sociological concepts proposed by the functionalist Emile Durkheim; the division of labour; mechanical and organic solidarity; anomie and suicide, and examines their relevance in contemporary society.

Emile Durkheim discusses “normlessness,” the unsuccessful incorporation of an individual into a group. Social norms are rules or behavioral expectations of a particular group. The norms, rarely spoken of, provide an outline as to what behaviors are to be viewed as acceptable and unacceptable, with the addition of presentation and interactions with other individuals. The social norms thrive in society due to society’s predilection towards conforming, if others were to do such as well. Violating the social norms would lead to an individual’s discouragement, because its violation condemns the individual to social disapproval or the punishment of guilt and shame.

Furthermore, Durkheim introduces the concept of collective conscience. When people riot at a sporting event, each individual share the same aggression and mindset to vandalize property and cause harm to the opposing team, in short, the chaos explains collective conscience. Durkheim defines collective conscience as, “totality of beliefs and sentiments common to average citizens of the same society.” CITE Fans who are at a sporting event belongs to a subculture, they all share the same beliefs and ideas.

Emile Durkheim was a sociologist who greatly impacted the world of sociology and changed many concepts about the discipline. Durkheim's main goal was to get people to realize that one's social experiences impact a person's behavior. Everything you encounter in your life, affects you in some way. Durkheim conducted a social experiment where he used suicide rates in different ethnicities, genders, and religions to prove his point. He concluded that these rates are constant every year and they rarely change within their given category. During his research, he found that one religion compared to another had higher suicide rates. He determined that this was due to their social experiences. The example between Protestants and Catholics was used because Protestants believe in freedom of their mind and actions, which excludes them from many social interactions that one of a different religion may encounter.

Auguste Comte is common known as one of the founders of sociology and positivism.Auguste Comte was a French philosopher and grew up around the time of the French revolution. Comte dismissed religion and insteadturned his attention on the study of society, which he named "sociology." He broke the subject into two parts social statics and social dynamics. Social statics can be defined as the social order in society.Social dynamics can be defined as social change in society.

However Lycee-Louis-le-grand was not his ambition, but rather the ‘Ecole Normale Superievre”. (Thompson, 2002) While studying at Lycee he prepared himself for the torturous “admission exams” that could open the doors to the “prestigious ‘Ecole Normale Superievre” (The Biography of Emily Durkheim, 2000), which was the “training ground for the intellectual elite of France” (Thompson, 2002). His “scientific way of thinking” did not make it easy for him to do well in the studies he required to get into this elite school (The Biography of Emile Durkheim, 2000)). After two attempts for the entrance exam he was finally accepted in 1879 (The biography of Emile Durkheim, 2000).

Emile Durkheim, Franz Boas, and Clifford Geertz were three very influential men in the study of anthropology. Durkheim became one of the first scientists to consider culture and society worthy of study, Boas refined and corrected theories hypothesized by Durkheim and others, and Geertz set an example of how to conduct ethnographies that is still used to this day.

Nine years after joining the faculty at the University of Bordeaux, he was promoted to a full time professor in social science, the first position in France; he became the chairman of the department for six years. In 1902 he was called to the Sorbonne, First as a charge de cours, then in 1906 as a professor of education. (coser, 1971)

In The Rules of Sociological Method, Emile Durkheim underscores the value of utilizing objective social facts in sociological research. His most notable instruction is “to consider social facts as things” or as empirical data (Durkheim [1895] 2013: p. 29). Durkheim further contends that these social facts should be studied sociologically, i.e., objectively, independent from biology and psychology, and external to individual consciousness. In his own words, Durkheim ([1895] 2013) asserts, “the determining cause of a social fact must be sought among antecedent social facts and not among the states of the individual consciousness” (p. 90). Thus, sociology should entail the impersonal and empirical study of social facts or phenomena. In spite of these directives, critics have identified Durkheim’s tendency to forsake his own rules when discussing women. This tendency is most apparent in his early works, The Division of Labor in Society and Suicide, in which his discussion of women often relied upon psychological and biological factors. Using examples from these early works, this paper will critically examine how biases and the use of nonsocial facts coalesced in Durkheim’s analysis of gender.

Emile durkheim was a prominent french sociologist of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. This was the time when the sociologist like Karl marx and Max webber were on its peak and At the same time Durklheim was credited with great prestige principle founders of sociolgy. His philosophy has worked like fusion in society which was related from an individual to whole society.he claimed that socity is a “Sui Generis” Reality or a reality unique which is called ruductinist method. Durkheim highly criticised the reductionist methoeds of social beheiviour. According to him the social phenomena are “social facts “ and these are the subject of matter of sociology. But any reality of society can only undertood through sociological terms but it never be an explanation on the biological and Psychosocial level. Durkheim stressed at the point that human society should be understood through social facts and this can be achieve through studyibg scitficaly the human society. For showing his argument right , he developed a new methodlogy defined as “social facts” which based on elements of collective life which is able to make an influence on the individual. The meaning of social facts is much about moral rules , which are the collection of some effective rules and guides to control the humans immorality but internalized in the conciouness of individuals but its very unique character is that indepndecy of individuals. In this way, the main difficulty is not to

QN: compare and contrast the difference between alternative concepts of the division of labour of karl marx and emile durkheim?

Sociology is the study of how people react within their social group. When studying sociology you have to be able to research one a group of people or an individual on their behavior and what they think. That is exactly what Emile Durkheim did. Emile Durkheim was one of many French sociologist was interested in sociology and some philosophy. One of the biggest studied he conducted was why people committed suicide and what caused it. He had many other studies and believed that sociology plays a part of how we act in situations. Which he believed could play a part in why people do commit suicide.

Durkheim was an intelligent, disciplined and diligent young man, who dedicated himself to his academic searches and became an outstanding student in more ways than one.

Durkheim is a highly influential name to remember when thinking of sociology. Durkheim’s mission was to develop sociology so it could be defined and to develop a method on how sociology should be used. Durkheim’s main concern in his career was primarily associated with how societies might preserve their integrity and rationality within modernised society, when things such as shared religious views and ethnic backgrounds are seen as things of the past. In relation to Durkheim’s social realism his concern was with the growing individualism in society. Durkheim argues that we are in an era which is imperfectly moving towards a morality based on individualism as “Durkheim regarded individualism as a collective representation, a force that