Theorizing Social Relations - Essay Sample

Introduction

This essay will focus on George's classical sociological theory as well as relying on some published articles about five years old or more extracted from various researches on the idea of Simmel's Stranger and that of Double Consciousness by DuBois. We will then compare and contrast these two notions and explain in detail, the concept of the veil by DuBois together with objective culture, and individual culture by Simmel. Moreover, the essay will also explain some of the theoretical contributions in regard to the two notions and well as illustrating how social distance and group size influence social interaction. The aim of this essay is to shed more light on the idea of double consciousness and stranger through comparisons and similarities with a better comprehension of the iron cage, the role of interaction, factors that influence it and its relation with DuBois' notion of double consciousness.

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The first-ever human interactions with each other have usually and will most likely be of misfortunes. The little acknowledgment is that humans interactions have been for centuries and this is a major concern in sociology. However, it is somehow challenging to study human interactions especially with the large population that displays not any sign of reduction. It even seems impossible to giving it a thought. The study of human interactions may be done through various concepts that discuss social interactions like sociological theories. Social settings or platforms can constitute race, culture, religion, gender and many other factors but breaking down this study into settings limits the number of individuals captured in the interaction while studying human interaction wholesomely may not yield fruits because of the extremely large population. Some of the ideas of studying the interaction of humans are the Simmel's notion of Stranger and DuBois' double consciousness but one should ask him himself or herself what it is that creates a differences between them, similarities or the objective and individual culture and what the relatedness of the two notions with the interaction of humans.

Simmel's Notion of the Stranger

'The Stranger' is one of the topmost discussed essays in society written by George Simmel. He introduces the idea of the stranger as a distinct sociological category due to their unique positions in a given group; strangers normally play an essential role that the rest of the group members are either unwilling to or incapable of executing. According to a peer-reviewed journal entitled, "Strangers and Strangership" by Mervyn Horgan notion of the stranger shows that strangeness is a geographical matter as well as psycho-cultural while Simmel himself defined the stranger as a person who belongs to a system but not fully attached to it, influences the significant concepts including the marginal man, social distance, heterophily and to some point the field of intercultural communication. He noticed that the image of the stranger consists of a peculiar combination of social distance and physical proximity (Horgan, 2012).

Du Bois' Notion of Double Consciousness

The concept of double consciousness is a notion primarily developed William Du Bois in the 1903 publication that is, The Souls of Black Folk where he describes double consciousness as a person's sensational feeling as if their identity is broken into numerous parts thus making it challenging or rather impossible to a collective identity (Adams & Sydie, 2002). De Bois presents that since the black Americans had lived in a society that historically devalued and repressed them and made it difficult to claim their black identity and to unite with the other blacks not only to feel free from their own understanding but also to consider themselves from the view of the outside world (Knobloch & Satterlee, 2009). This is what he meant by "the sense of looking at one's self throughout the eyes of others.'' According to William DeBois, the prejudice of the Whites' misinformed self-questioning, lowering ideals and self-disparagement among the blacks and the globalization of anti-black sentiment from the world outside redefined the American experience (Eze, 2011). He explores better the social issues in his earlier works through the notion of double consciousness. In a journal entitled, "On Double Consciousness" by Emmanuel C. Eze Callaloo, Double consciousness also causes an element of war within the negros as they strive unsuccessfully to get their identity as black people and also as the citizens of America (Eze, 2011).

Comparison and Contrast of Simmel's Notion of the Stranger With Dubois' Notion of Double Consciousness

Throughout the social discourse, Simmel and DuBois have shown a significant influence on the concepts and imperative theories developed in social sciences, among them being major distinguished ideas presented by these theorists are the notion of 'the stranger' and 'double consciousness.' In this writing, I will analyze each of these concepts to create the difference and similarities about them. The similarities I will discuss are based on the usage of the paradoxical image which both Simmel and DuBois mention in their theoretic works and the coexisting sense of divisions from a conventional setting. The contrast between the two notions I will discuss the views of the society on this paradoxical images. For instance, Simmel's work of the stranger is considered a significant addition to the society we live in, whereas DuBois' work of double consciousness is seen as a liability.

The notion of double consciousness was primarily conceptualized by DuBois in his piece of work. The Souls of Black Folk which reflected on the subjective problems of being a black American or rather a negro. DuBois says, "...after the Indians, the Egyptians, the Roman, Greece, the Mongolian and the Teuton, the negro is a mere sort of the seventh son cursed or born with veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world- a world which bears him not the true sense of self-consciousness but the sense of usually considering himself in the eyes of the rest, of measuring himself with a world tape that all seems amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his twoness, ... an America ..." On a different note, the stranger by Simmel helps in the societal building where the African American is viewed as devaluing or hindering the societal progress (Longhofer and Winchester, 2016).

The influence created by the group's behavior is one of the essential factors that can redefine and contribute to a healthy society. William Edward DuBois and Simmel use the notions of their theories to extensively examine social issues still evident in the society presently like inequalities. They both tackle issues like lack of the sense of belonging felt by outsiders or rather strangers within the society sometimes tolerated though not wholesomely accepted. However, they both fail to enlighten the society on the notion of level appreciation may be the matter is more controversial than that of a seventh son and a stranger or rather a racial concern and or historical setting.

Simmel's Thesis on Group Distance and his Concept of the Outsider within and the veil between the Races. Apply at least one social theory

George Simmel considers societal issues where lack of belongingness experienced by outsiders or strangers within the society may be adopted but not completely accepted. Humans often encourage social relationships and the maintenance of social interactions through aloofness, reservance and elimination numerous factors that forms part of the dialectical process in any given social life (Murphy, 1964). For instance, the Tuareg women often cover their faces completely and this means that they symbolically create a kind of distance between themselves and the social others. The veil that provides neither anonymity nor isolation contains the idiom privacy and facelessness upon its users and allows them to stand against the dangers of social interaction while continuing to be part of it. This the corresponding issue that the strangers or seventh son and or black Americans are faced with, the social perils of being devalued on a racial basis. The veil that harms no one but allows them to have a sense of belonging among others and even outside the world (Murphy, 1964).In the notion of the stranger, Simmel talks of how one can be more close to the actor but is not viewed as a stranger but if he or she is too far, then they will no longer be an entity of the group (Murphy, 1964). The specific distance from a given group permits an individual the objective relationship with various members of the group

References

Adams, B. N., & Sydie, R. A. (2002). Classical sociological theory. Pine Forge Press Inc. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.apus.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip&db=nlebk&AN=586002&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Eze, E. C. (2011). On double consciousness. Callaloo, 34(3), 877-898.doi: 10.1353/cal.2011.0162

Horgan, M. (2012). Strangers and strangership. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 33(6), 607-622. doi.org/10.1080/07256868.2012.735110

In, D.& Jary J.(2006). Stranger (Eds.), Collins Dictionary of Sociology (4th ed.). London, UK: Collins. Retrieved from https://search-credoreference-com.ezproxy1.apus.edu/content/entry/collinssoc/stranger/0

Knobloch, L. K., & Satterlee, K. L. (2009). Relational uncertainty: Theory and application.

Longhofer, W., & Winchester, D. (2016). Social theory re-wired: New connections to classical and contemporary perspectives. Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.apus.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip&db=nlebk&AN=1214817&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Murphy, R. F. (1964). Social Distance and Veil 1. American Anthropologist, 66(6), 1257-1274. doi.org/10.1525/aa.1964.66.6.02a00020