Examples of Emile Durkheim in the following topics:
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The Sacred and the Profane
- Emile Durkheim posited the sacred–profane dichotomy as central to all religion, but critics suggest this theory is too eurocentric.
- The sacred–profane dichotomy is an idea posited by French sociologist Émile Durkheim, who considered it to be the central characteristic of religion: "religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden."
- In Durkheim's theory, the sacred represented the interests of the group, especially unity, which were embodied in sacred group symbols, or totems.
- Durkheim explicitly stated that the sacred/profane dichotomy was not equivalent to good/evil.
- Durkheim's claim of the universality of this dichotomy for all religions/cults has been criticized by scholars such as British anthropologist Jack Goody.
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Functions of Religion
- The functionalist perspective, which originates from Emile Durkheim's work on religion, highlights the social role of religion.
- The structural-functional approach to religion has its roots in Emile Durkheim's work on religion.
- Durkheim argued that religion is, in a sense, the celebration and even (self-) worship of human society.
- Religion, for Durkheim, is not imaginary, although he does deprive it of what many believers find essential.
- We then express ourselves religiously in groups, which for Durkheim makes the symbolic power greater.
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Durkheim's Mechanical and Organic Solidarity
- As part of his theory of the development of societies in, The Division of Labour in Society (1893), sociologist Emile Durkheim characterized two categories of societal solidarity: organic and mechanical.
- Durkheim formally established the academic discipline and, with Karl Marx and Max Weber, is commonly cited as the principal architect of modern social science and father of sociology.
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Durkheim and Social Integration
- Emile Durkheim studied how societies maintained social integration after traditional bonds were replaced by modern economic relations.
- Along with Marx and Weber, French sociologist Emile Durkheim is considered one of the founders of sociology.
- Durkheim believed that society exerted a powerful force on individuals.
- According to Durkheim, the collective consciousness is formed through social interactions.
- Durkheim worried that modernity might herald the disintegration of society.
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Social Constructionism
- A clear example of social constructionist thought is, following Sigmund Freud and Émile Durkheim, religion.
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Social Epidemiology and Health
- The roots of social epidemiology go back Emile Durkheim's work on suicide .
- In Suicide (1897), Durkheim explores the differing suicide rates between Protestants and Catholics, arguing that stronger social control among Catholics results in lower suicide rates.
- According to Durkheim, Catholic society has normal levels of integration while Protestant society has low levels.
- Despite its limitations, Durkheim's work on suicide has influenced proponents of control theory, and is often mentioned as a classic sociological study.
- Discuss epidemiolgy and its impact on American health care, as well as its beginnings based on Durkheim's work on suicide
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Alienation
- This article seeks to trace "alienation" through sociological theory by discussing Marx's use of the term, applying it to social contexts with Emile Durkheim's notion of anomie, and finally discussing alienation in a modern context using technological examples.
- Social alienation was famously described by French sociologist Émile Durkheim in the late nineteenth century with his concept of anomie.
- Durkheim was writing at a time of sudden industrialization and mass movement of families from rural areas into urban areas.
- The general principles outlined by Durkheim in his descriptions of anomie can be seen in any social context, including our own.
- Compare the theories of economic and social alienation posited by Marx, Simmel, Tönnies, and Durkheim
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The Elements of Religion
- Emile Durkheim argues that religion is comprised of the sacred elements of social life.
- Durkheim also identifies collective interests and group unity as part of the sacred, whereas individual concerns fall into the profane category.
- Under Durkheim's distinction, both nationalism and consumerism would be considered sacred practices.
- As a result, some have argued Durkheim's distinction is not sufficiently narrow to capture the essence of religion.
- If we want to examine the difference between collective and individual interests, Durkheim's distinction steers us in the right direction .
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Mechanical and Organic Solidarity
- In The Division of Labor in Society, Emile Durkheim outlined two theories that attempt to explain how social order and solidarity is established and maintained.
- Durkheim argued solidarity is significant because it is a necessary component of a functioning civilization and a necessary component of a fulfilling human life.
- Durkheim described two forms of solidarity: mechanical and organic, roughly corresponding to smaller and larger societies.
- Apply Durkheim's concepts of mechanical and organic solidarity to groups in the real world
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Capitalism, Modernization, and Industrialization
- Sociologists Weber, Marx and Durkheim envisioned different impacts the Industrial Revolution would have on both the individual and society.
- Three early sociologists, Max Weber, Karl Marx, and Emile Durkheim, envisioned different outcomes of the Industrial Revolution on both the individual and society and described these effects in their work.
- According to Durkheim, an important component of social life was social solidarity, which can be understood as a sense of community.
- For example, in his classic study, Suicide, Durkheim argued that one of the root causes of suicide was a decrease in social solidarity, a phenomenon which Durkheim referred to as anomie (French for chaos).
- According to Durkheim, the types of social solidarity correlate with types of society.