Essay Example on Durkheim's View on Society: Division of Labor and Social Norms

Introduction

Sociological philosophies of Emile Durkheim on how he views the society inclines to the norms and the different set of rules that run structures. These, he argues, are essential to the shaping of society. According to Durkheim, one of the concepts that define any society is the division of labor (Jones et al., 2015). A society would designate roles and responsibilities to their people according to factors such as gender and age. In a larger society, a community, for example, there would be rulers, of a certain age and/or gender, who would be given the responsibility of making decisions on matters affecting the society (Jones et al., 2015). A family's daily chores would be carried out by different members of the family.

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My family continues to be a perfect example of the concept of division of labor. Right from when I started understanding things as a kid, to date, there is a consistent manner on who is supposed to do what in and around the family. From the parents to the female and male siblings. Some duties are also performed by the kids, according to their ages.

In my family, since when I was little, I could witness my father consistently performing some duties while my mother performed others. The commonest place was the kitchen. This was simply my mother's space. Nearly all of the cooking that I can remember was done by my mother. Although my father would rarely be seen around the kitchen, he would be tasked with taking the trash out to the bins. My mother would call him out if he seems not to be aware that the trash can is full. Growing up, I could see my sister inclining towards my mother in the kitchen, while once in a while I would be asked to take the trash out. Our kitchen has since been dominated by females, while we males, check out on the trash cans to see they are emptied. This illustration of my family is congruent with the concept of division of labor by Durkheim.

Karl Marx's Concept of Class Struggle

Karl Marx believes in some core elements that are responsible for the running of a community. He also thinks that these elements are responsible for the underlying challenges and problems in these communities. One of Marx's core elements is class struggle. According to this concept, the ruling class exercising control on the means of production is a source of social conflict (Stepnisky, 2018). the ruling class, in this case, has the power and resources that they use to control the running of the economy.

Class struggle is evident in many countries of the world. Many times, the citizens of a certain country would take to the streets in protests against oppression. This oppression, on many occasions, is economic oppression. The origin of the economic oppression would likely be when few powerful individuals manipulate a system to their own advantage at the expense of others (Stepnisky, 2018). A classical personal experience was in 2016 when I visited a gas station to refuel my family's car. The attendant in this gas station politely informed me that was no gas in stock. It was the same case in two other stations before I was able to refuel in the fourth, at escalated prices. I, later on, I learned that there was an overall shortage of oil in the country - not a genuine one. People soon enough took to the streets to protest high fuel prices.

Hoarding is a perfect illustration of economic manipulation by a few individuals to maximize profits. The powerful upper class owns the resources and that they decide by personal conviction on their distribution. When these individuals "hide" supplies so that prices may increase and therefore profits, they create conflict with the lower-class majority.

Emile Durkheim's Concept of Anomie

Emile Durkheim applies anomie in describing the role of morals in a society. This is a subject about who is responsible for instilling morals in individuals of a particular society (Berberoglu, 2017). Durkheim describes anomie as the situation in which the community of origin of an individual does not take part in administering morals or only provides limited moral values to the individual. When anomie practiced, Durkheim records, the community's image is at stake. When an individual acts immorally, he is identified by the community from which he originates (Berberoglu, 2017). Communities, therefore, have a significant role to play in molding their people.

Frequently, we witness communities talking on what "we" do and do not do. People refer to what their community has taught them as their practice and that which is not. Varied religions also teach their followers things that identify with them (Berberoglu, 2017). My Christian family attends their place of worship every Sunday. Our Muslim brothers gather in their mosques on Fridays to exercise their religious beliefs. The members of the different religions are also taught to conduct themselves according to what their religions identify with. Should an individual act contrary to the norms of the community of origin, they are regarded as outcasts.

There are numerous examples of direct experiences that we can use to illustrate the consequences of anomie. When a member of a family in the neighborhood is jailed for a gross crime, that family is alienated by other members of the community. A Christian is taught to marry only a single partner and when he goes ahead and marries more, he is considered not a Christian faithful. Economic hoarding could be defined as a perfect design of financial manipulation by a few individuals to maximize profits. It is evident in the U.S., where there are few individuals who want to the capitalist rule to remain so that they may be able to siphon funds to their accounts, and this is one of the problems that lead to a slump in the economy. However, according to Emile Durkheim's model the society has a role to play in castigating the issue of unequal distribution of resources caused by capitalism rule.

References

Berberoglu, B. (2017). Social Theory: Classical and Contemporary-A Critical Perspective. Routledge.

Jones, P., LeBoutillier, S., & Bradbury, L. (2015). Introducing social theory, 2nd ed.. [Place of publication not identified]: Polity Press.

Stepnisky, J. (2018). Types of Sociological Theory. Core Concepts in Sociology, 295.