SOC202H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Mechanical And Organic Solidarity, George Herbert Mead, William Fielding Ogburn
Document Summary
Cultural objects are meaningful to human beings living in a social world; conversely the social world, otherwise random and chaotic, is meaningful because of the cultural lens through which people view it. Cultural creators: in moments of inspiration, these individuals create something altogether new, something moving, entertaining, brilliant, and often either profoundly disturbing or delightful, such gifted people change the cultural world in which human beings live. Durkheim and the social production of culture: the problem of modern social life. Change came when societies grew in size and density and people began to specialize. Modern institutions separate these life processes from the family, as well as from one another. Durkheim believed that every society must have some kind of collective representation, some tie that binds that demonstrates to the society"s members their undoubted connection to one another. Durkheim"s analysis of religion centers on four key ideas: 1) collective representation, 2) the distinction between the sacred and the profane.
