Division of Labour in Society (1893) - Durkheim

Question 1

What is mechanical solidarity?

Answer 1

• characterises traditional, pre-modern societies
• individuals share similar values, beliefs, and ways of life, leading to a strong sense of social cohesion
• the similarity among individuals creates a collective conscience that binds them together

Question 2

What is organic solidarity?

Answer 2

• characterises modern societies
• when societies undergo industrialisation and experience division of labour, they transition to organic solidarity
• characterised by the interdependence of individuals with specialised roles and functions
• we play different roles but we are protected by different rights

Question 3

According to Durkheim, what signals the emergence of modernity?

Answer 3

• the increasing division of labour during the transition from traditional society to industrial, capitalist society
• the path to modernity is marked by conflict, instability and crises of capitalist society (the liminal space between traditional and modern)
• Durkheim saw the transition from traditional to modern as good and desirable for socety as it signifies progressiveness
• Durkheim believes that the abnormalities/pathologies that arise from modernity are temporary

Note: Durkheim did not outrightly reject capitalism

Question 4

What is a critique of Durkheim’s understanding of transition from traditional to modern society?

Answer 4

Durkheim argues that the societal change is natural and spontaneous, but it is contradictory because it does not address the processes of Western colonialism and imperialism engendering the coerced societal transformations, which are effects that Durkheim witnessed during his lifetime.
Ironic because European societies had transited to industrial capitalism through revolutionary routes marked by chaos, disorder and turmoil

Question 5

What did Durkheim study to derive the types of society?

Answer 5

Criminal laws - these laws are a way to get people to conform, hence we can understand the value of society

Question 6

What kind of law/punishment characterised societies with mechanical solidarity?

Answer 6

Repressive laws:
* when someone threatens the sameness or solidarity of the society, they eradicate those who try to challenge the way of life
* publicly shame or scare you to not commit crimes
* The judge who sentences punishments is a representation of our society’s beliefs, values and norms
* Every society has some sort of law to represent and reinforce values of that time; some crimes are more severely punished than others

Question 7

What kind of law/punishment characterised societies with organic solidarity?

Answer 7

Restitutive laws:
* focuses on restoring one’s position and reintegration into society
* various parts of society working together to keep each other safe

Question 8

What kind of law do modern societies shift their focus to?

Answer 8

From criminal to civil laws (e.g. family law, contractual law, procedural law)
As society’s division of labour becomes more complex, we rely on one another more as we become too specialised to be able to survive independent of one another.

Question 9

What is collective conscience? What is an example?

Answer 9

• refers to the shared beliefs, values and attitudes of society which create social cohesion
• often characterised in traditional societies with mechanical solidarity because everyone has similar roles
• Crimes represent the collective conscience of a society. Criminal laws represent the values of the past that are used to punish people in the present (e.g. Section 377A) - not necessarily applicable to the circumstances of the present generation

Question 10

What is the relationship between religion and collective conscience?

Answer 10

Religion is a form of collective conscience because religion consists of a set of beliefs, values and norms that determine the way of life for people
* people think in sync, forming the basis for commonality

Question 11

What are negative rights?

Answer 11

restrains people by limiting their actions (e.g. cannot enter people’s homes without permission)

Question 12

What are positive rights?

Answer 12

Compels people to act in a certain way to fulfil complex duties and obligations (e.g. NS, taxes)

Question 13

What is a critique of the dual types of solidarity?

Answer 13

• Elements of traditional laws exist in present-day modern societies
• is it possible to ever achieve complete organic solidarity?