Sociology and Durkheim Essay

Sociology and Durkheim Essay Sociology and Durkheim Essay Color of Fear It has been expressed through the views of Marxism that human societies move forward through tension and class struggle. Marx argued that land owners would exploit their workers in order to keep an ongoing cycle of labor. The land owners would limit those allowed to work for them which in turn would create a hostile environment and a need to survive. Those without work would have to find other means to survive for instance through crime or charity in order to keep themselves and their families alive. The tension for survival would rise between both classes and eventually cause a revolution consisting of the landowner versus the laborer or worker, this concept was also known as a shift from Feudalism to Capitalism (Roberts). It was by the theories of Marxism that a history of relations would always be set between the exploiter class (landowners) and the exploited class (the workers). Most of what Marx argues about has been going on since the day exploitation was ever cre ated. These unfortunate events are still seen throughout our world and we can honestly say that it may never be erased from this earth ever. Through my own eyes I have seen this battle countless of times, it has always been my people versus the landowners. Growing up as a kid I would always come home from school to see my grandmother so tired from working under the hot summer sun in the planting fields and greenhouses off the I5 in the city of Encinitas. The beliefs of Marx can be described through the life of many minorities working in the same conditions as my grandmother used to. The owners of the fields would exploit their workers with threats and the use of the fearful word, Immigration. One could not say a word for it was these hard working conditions that kept a scarce meal on the table to be able to stay alive. The landowners would offer work and the laborers would keep quit about the working conditions and the ongoing circle of classes would keep going. Capitalism plays a k ey role in what Marx believed, he has stated that through Capitalism one can not be and individual with their labor and creating something that comes from the mind and hands of ones self. This idea can also be seen with the migrant workers of today, many of us as I did when I was very young, thought that migrants liked working in these fields and conditions but the reality is just the opposite. The workers place themselves in these harsh working conditions not because they enjoy it but because it is the only way to be able to survive and keep some sort of income coming in. Armed with his Enlightenment ideology, Durkheim made the point that sociology would study the social life using scientific methods (Roberts). Through his work he created a phenomena known as social facts: â€Å"manners of acting, thinking, and feeling external to the individual, which are vested with coercive power by virtue of which they exercise control over him (sic).† what Durkheim meant by his stateme nt was that humans have a certain way of thinking, feeling and acting. These types of feelings and actions had said, by Durkheim, to be seen even way before we are even born and after we die these emotions and feelings keep on living on after as well (Roberts). We use these emotions that Durkheim described, but it is stated in his work that it is not until after we learn these concepts through socialization into an already existing culture (Roberts). Durkheim also had many other theories that branched out form what I have previously stated some of his other work used the notion of feelings, emotions and norms of life to answer the question of why society stays together and not cause chaos and anarchy. This theory that Durkheim had was known, by him, as mechanical solidarity. His work states that this form of solidarity had developed way before its time and seen through people of tribes and villages (Roberts). According to Durkheim what keeps society together was similarity. Similar values in