Theories

Classical 1 - Macro-Sociological (

(Theorists: Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels)

1. People in preindustrial, traditional societies were generic, tribal beings
2. Rise of city was transition from barbarism to civilization
3. People realize political and economic freedom, productive specialization
4. Social evolution of humans not complete until capitalism was transformed into socialism
5. Emphasis of economics and problems of inequality and conflict

(Theorists: Ferdinand Tonnies (1855-1936) German (pessimistic) - macro-sociological)

Considered social structure of city; defined and described two basic organizing principles of human association or two contrasting types of human social life, a typology with a continuum of pure type of settlement:

1) Gemeinschaft (community): characterized country village, people in rural village have an essential unity of purpose, work together for the common good, united by ties of family (kinship) and neighbourhood, land worked communally by inhabitants, social life characterized by intimate, private and exclusive living together, members bound by common language and traditions, recognized common goods and evils, common friends and enemies, sense of we-ness or our-ness, humane;
2) Gesellschaft (association): characterized large city, city life is a mechanical aggregate characterized by disunity, rampant individualism and selfishness, meaning of existence shifts from group to individual, rational, calculating, each person understood in terms of a particular role and service provided; deals with the artificial construction of an aggregate of human beings which superficially resembles the Gemeinschaft in so far as the individuals peacefully live together yet whereas in Gemeinschaft people are united in spite of all separating factors, in Gesellschaft people are separated in spite of all uniting factors

There are three types of Gemeinschaft relationships: Kinship, Friendship, and Neighborhood or Locality"

1.1) Kinship Gemeinschaft is based on Family; the strongest relationship being between mother and child, then husband and wife, and then siblings. Gemeinschaft also exists between father and child, but this relationship is less instinctual than that of mother and child. However, the father-child relationship is the original manifestation of authority within Gemeinschaft.
1.2) Kinship develops and differentiates into the Gemeinschaft of Locality, which is based on a common habitat
1.3) There is also Friendship, or Gemeinschaft of the mind, which requires a common mental community (eg: religion).

Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) French (optimistic)
Stresses on social structure of city and Social solidarity--the bond between all individuals within a society. Developed model of contrasting social order types: both types are natural
1) Mechanical solidarity: refers to social bonds constructed on likeness and largely dependent upon common belief, custom, ritual, routines, and symbol, people are identical in major ways and thus united almost automatically, self-sufficient; social cohesion based upon the likeness and similarities among individuals in a society. Common among prehistoric and pre-agricultural societies, and lessens in predominance as modernity increases.
2) Organic solidarity: social order based on social differences, complex division of labour where many different people specialize in many different occupations, greater freedom and choice for city inhabitants despite acknowledged impersonality, alienation, disagreement and conflict, undermined traditional social integration but created a new form of social cohesion based on mutual interdependence, liberating; social cohesion based upon the dependence individuals in more advanced society have on each other. Common among industrial societies as the division of labor increases. Though individuals perform different tasks and often have different values and interests, the order and very survival of society depends on their reliance on each other to perform their specific task.

source: 2001 [E.W.> van der Veen]