Sociology 6 Marks Question

Emile Durkheim identified four types of suicide:

1. Egoistic Suicide: A person gives too much importance to his own self or ego; is not properly integrated in society; excessive self- reflection on personal matters leading to withdrawal from the outside world; as a result there is weakening in the bonds of solidarity in the family, religious and political organizations.
2. Altruistic Suicide: In this the person is over-integrated with the society. They commit suicide for the cause of society or a kind of self-denial. e.g. Sati, Jauhar.
3. Anomic Suicide: In societies that experience sudden changes. Anomic is a state which results from the weakening of the powers in the society that regulate social equilibrium. The person meets frustration and he cannot withstand it, he puts an end to his life.
4. Fatalistic Suicide: When there is excessive degree of regulation and an overly developed regime, e.g. seeing no alternative to enslavement under the master a slave takes his life.

The basic characteristics of religion are:

1. Belief in supernatural power.
2. Emotional state of mind associated with the beliefs, happiness, fear, reverence etc.
3. Material objects involved in the religious practices-altar, cross, sacrifice, flower, incense sticks, special clothes, banana leaves etc.
4. Variations in the types of material objects used in religious ceremonies-differ from culture to culture.
5. Specific rituals-fasting, chanting, dancing, specific types of food etc.
6. Specific mode of worship.
7. Concept of heaven and hell; sacred and profane etc.
8. A special place of worship.
9. Generally rituals are performed in isolation but occasionally it is performed collectively.

According to Max Weber:

1. An action is social when it is oriented or directed to others in society.
2. It is social in so far as by virtue of the meaning attached to it by the acting individual or individuals.
3. All human behaviour to which the actor attaches a subjective meaning is social action.

Types of social action:

1. Goal-Rational Action: Both means and goals are rationally selected by the individual.
2. Value-Rational Action: These are performed under the influence of ethical values and religious beliefs of the individual.
3. Emotional Action: The means and ends of the action are selected on the basis of emotional criteria. They may not be rational.
4. Traditional Action: Tradition and customs guide the selection of the means and ends.

Emile Durkheim was born on 15th April, 1858 in France. His elementary education was completed at Ecole. After graduation from the Ecole, he started working for the doctoral degree. He obtained his doctorate in 1893, and was appointed Professor in the Paris University. Durkheim founded L'Anne Sociologique, the first social science journal in France. He died on Nov. 15, 1917.His works include:

1. Division of Labour in Society.
2. The Rules of Sociological Method.
3. Suicide.
4. The Elementary Forms of Religious Life.

According to Durkheim, social facts are the substance of sociological study. Durkheim was strongly concerned with outlining the nature and scope of sociology.

1. They are general throughout society.
2. They are external to individuals and exist independently on their will.
3. They exercise external constraint over individuals.

1. Karl Marx: He referred to the villages of India as “little communities”. He was of the opinion that India was a self sufficient group which had no contact with the outside world. India had its own institutions and beliefs that controlled the human behaviour. Marx also opposed the British rule in Indian society and was totally against it. He wrote many articles on India under the British Raj, in order to throw light upon his views.
2. Max Weber: He studied India under his works on the ‘Sociology of Religion’. Weber understood the Indian society as orthodox and suppressed, under the barriers of the caste system. He emphasised throughout his studies the need of rational thinking, which was opposed by the caste system in IndiaHe also believed that the religion and caste system together acted against economic development.

	Mechanical Solidarity		Organic Solidarity
1.	It is found in primitive societies.	1.	It is found in modern societies.
2.	It is based on the similarity of its individual members.	2.	It is based on the heterogeneity of its members.
3.	It is found in societies with less population.	3.	It is found in the societies with large population and impersonal relationships.
4.	It is a group of people who are self sufficient and engaged in similar activities.	4.	The people in this group are not self sufficient but dependent on other groups for their survival.
5.	This kind of society is not very tolerant of differences and violation of norms.	5.	This kind of society is tolerant and interdependent on each other.
6.	It has repressive laws that prevent deviation or opposition from the norms of community.	6.	It has a restitutive law that corrects the wrong done by the criminals.
7.	The individual in this kind of society is totally submerged in the collectivity.	7.	In this society the individual is given some autonomy.

Many social theories have been at the root of social movements in India after independence. These include theories related to socialism, feminism and environmentalism. Socialist movements have strived to secure economic justice for backward classes.
The ideal of socialism has been recognised in the preamble of the Constitution of India as well. Dalits and tribals have participated in socio-political movements to acquire political power based on the ideas of social reforms movements of nineteenth and twentieth century. These groups had been exploited from ancient time and are now endeavouring to claim their place in society. Feminism seeks to redefine the role of women in society and bring it on equal footing with that of men. Feminist movements have struggled against stereotypes and made efforts to secure the rights of women at home and workplace with some degree of success. Environmental movements have combined environmental and social concerns of people which have been overshadowed by developmental concerns.
The Gandhian ideals of peaceful agitation and simplistic living have their association with most of these movements. Environmentalism has recently acquired a prominent focus among social concerns with problems like climate change and its attendant costs, particularly for developing countries. Major socio-environmental movements in India are the Chipko movement, the Appiko movement, Narmada Bachao Andolan and Silent Valley conservation.

The work of thinkers who died long ago needs to be studied because it is important to understand the impact of their ideologies in order to know the present-day societies well. For example, to understand the communist model and its failures, one needs to study the theories developed by Karl Marx on capitalism and communism. Some theories of scholars are still relevant in the present day societies. The idea of bureaucracy by Max Weber is a very important element of functioning of present day societies in which we are living. Their theories also provide many answers to social developments of the past. For example, the progress of western societies compared to Asian societies can be understood through the study of Protestant-Ethic and the Rise of Capitalism by Max Weber. The difference between sociology and psychology can be understood by the study of ‘Suicide’ done by Emile Durkheim. Reasons for not studying the works of early thinkers are that some of the old concepts may not be applicable to the present day societies.
This can be attributed to unforeseen changes in social, economic, cultural and technological fields which accompany the advent of a new era. For instance, the theory of Karl Marx where he concludes that the working class would protest against the capitalist and a new form of socialist regime would emerge, was eventually proved wrong and later the theory of Max Weber was accepted. Also, there are many critics to the theory. For instance the ideology of the Indian villages being self sufficient entity by the western scholars, was highly criticised by the Indian scholars like M.N. Srinivas, according to whom, the villages were connected with the outside world.