Marx and Durkheim: Exploring Their Conceptions of ‘Human’ and Analyzing Contemporary Capitalist Social Formation

Karl Marx (1818-83), German philosopher and Émile Durkheim (1858-1917), French sociologist are among the classical thinkers of sociology. Both of them, being the product of their own times, were influenced by the French Revolution and Industrial Revolution. While Marx is called the father of the conflict school of thought, Durkheim’s work forms the basis for … Read more

Emile Durkheim’s Contributions: Theories, Explanations, Examples

The purpose of this article is to provide a brief overview of some of the major theoretical contributions of French classical sociologist Émile Durkheim. The concepts discussed in the article are: solidarity and its different forms; the importance of sociology; crime in society; religion; and sacred and profane. Introduction: The famous French sociologist Émile Durkheim … Read more

Deviance, Disability, and Anomie – Essay in 4000 Words

It is a fact universally acknowledged that the world is burdened with extensive and pervasive social inequalities, most of which serve to target the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups of society. As a result, persons in minority groups have been the recipients of countless forms of maltreatment and have been required to endure nearly constant … Read more

Sociology of Poverty: Functionalist and Conflict Perspectives

Defining Poverty: Poverty is the state of being financially incapable of affording the essentials for the prevailing standard of living (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2020). Within this understanding of poverty, the prevailing standard of living and basic human needs, while overlapping are not synonymous. Basic human needs include goods that are necessary for survival, … Read more

Division of Labour: Adam Smith and Emile Durkheim

Meaning: Division of labour refers to the splitting up of work into a series of tasks which are each assigned to different people or groups (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2017). It is also termed as “a concept referring to the way a society or social group organizes itself internally” (Hausner, 2019.) This concept is mainly found in … Read more

How ‘social’ are social facts? – An interpretation of Emile Durkheim’s “Rules of Sociological Method”

Introduction: In the study of Rules of Sociological Method, Emile Durkheim aims to provide a concrete definition of ‘social facts’ and the components they entail. This is done by deconstructing the definition and providing an expansive explanation of its components. Therefore, Durkheim follows a pattern wherein first, he provides a definition of the components and … Read more