The Cultural Logic of Collective Representations (Group 5)

Paragraphs 1-5: Jessica Yang

Durkheim begins by claiming that “all the great social institutions have been born in religion.” In other words, this idea of the collective society starts through religion as religion creates the moral consciousness that individuals operate under. For instance, when looking at Weber and the Spirit of Capitalism, his whole argument surrounds how the birth of capitalism came from religion. Religion has such an encompassing power that it defines how a society operates whether it be morality, or just how individuals view the world and each other. It influences the rules that underline the basis of social institutions such as the idea of marriage. In the western society, when two individuals get married, it is not just going to the registry but to also say their vows to each other in a church, with a priest as a major player. This idea takes over our image of what is considered a 'true' marriage traditionally and those marriages that do not follow such a standard is considered less legitimate. According to Durkheim, religious forces also attach themselves on to human forms to give themselves a human force or a moral force. This force is so strong that everything that one does is dictated through it as it energizes the individual. He becomes “transformed” by it and as a result, he transforms society, producing an ideal world that only exists internally within himself. For example, in Christianity, it is believed that there is a reason in which everything happens on earth and that reason is God. As a result, individuals who goes through life believing there to be an all encompassing plan in which all of society is involved in. And so, individuals sees every unfortunate or fortunate event that happens to him or her as happening for a reason.

To add onto what we discussed in class: Religion affects what society view as 'sacred' objects or values. In class we discussed examples such as how in the Catholic church, there are certain rituals that must be performed and where plain water (or wine?) is turned into the blood of Christ, thus making the element sacred. When worshipers drink this liquid, one becomes 'transformed' and accept the idea that they are somehow joined with Jesus. Even for those that are non-Catholics are influenced by these rituals. When travelling to cities such as Rome, one is bound to visit its great churches and upon entering, there is a unspoken sense of common courtesy to respect the place.

Comment: Diana Choi While reading Durkheim's theory on the collective consciousness, this question came into my mind. Is Durkheim’s concept of conscience collective merely expressive of what society ‘believes itself to be'? To an extent, collective consciousness can be seen as a false or wrong ideological thwarting of the individual consciousness serving the maintenance of a conflictual sociality.

Paragraphs 6-9: Kristy Ng

In paragraphs 6-9, Durkheim mentions that the ideal world is created through social interactions. This ideal world is constantly at odds with the real world but it is said that through these opposites that we create our ever changing society. He suggests that it isn’t that one ideal world is better than another but he discusses the idea of the traditional and the new today, there are still a series of ideals that society holds accountable but the individual is still said to draw on it and become their own individual through acquisition and understanding. Relating to an example from modern day, the idea of rural areas and the urban where individuals in rural area have access to the basic items and the infrastructure such as farmland and others and the urban lifestyle of rapid industrialization. These two lifestyles are very different, but according to Durkheim, one truly can’t function without the other and rather it is from that pull and push that we continue to form ideals.

What do you think are some other modern examples of this ideal world versus the real world? Another one I had in mind was the social structure of marriage where marriage is a traditional mindset but then in our modern society we also see the growth of cohabitation and others. There is this constant push and pull and while there is no right or wrong, there is only growth between the two.

ALEXIS: I think the contract between the individual and culture is based in the idealization of this relationship. However, culture is a double-edged sword: it is tyrannical in it's manifestations of social order and demand for obedience to maintain this order and it is also an enormous source of security and comfort for the individual since he can locate himself in the wider collective consciousness - organized around collective ideals. We have an ambivalent relationship to culture because of the paradox embedded within it: the insistence on traditional modes of being (order - pattern-maintenance) and the demand for innovation and desire for authentic self-expression (chaos of creativity). I see this tension playing out in the anarchy that is the Internet. The cybersphere embodies so much of the paradoxical nature of shared ideals and culture. It can be bot authoritarian and disciplinary and so hugely motivating, comforting and inspiring in its embrace of creative expression/innovation.

Paragraphs 12-15: Anisha Bains

In this section, Durkheim proposes that the elements of the “constituent elements of categories should have be taken from social life”. Meaning that the categories of life should come from society. it is society that puts a meaning upon an object via active force. The meaning on the object creates independence from one’s individual consciousness, and our ability to put these meanings on an object creates a unified, coherent society. The notion of categorizing objects and experiences is inherent and creates a division of labour as different groups of people are divided, differentiated and arranged in a way that there is no overlapping categories.

Paragraphs 16-End: Michael Hicks

In this section, Durkheim argues how society is shaped due to the categories individuals are placed in. Each category has their specific form of a collective conscious, and it is these different perspectives on society that make up the way society functions as a whole. Durkheim states how "the collective consciousness is the highest form of the psychic life, since it is the consciousness of the consciousnesses." Individuals within these specific categories then interpret these collective ideals on society and then voice their unique opinions in which effect the way society functions. This can be seen in the contemporary world where lower class, minimum wage earning individuals, such as a sweatshop worker or individuals below the low income line will always have a different collective conscious than higher class white collard workers. Its unfortunate because a lot of the time, these lower class individuals' voices aren't heard loud enough in society which inevitably results in no change. Another good example of this is seen with women in the workforce whom are demanding for equal rights and equal pay. There is a collective conscious with women as they all strive to get the same outcome.