The French sociologist Émile Durkheim (1858-1917) defines solidarity as the factor that guarantees social cohesion in a specific period. It's what makes individuals feel part of a social group.
This proposal is an attempt to respond to the changes that have taken place in Europe, above all, from the establishment of the capitalist mode of production.
For him, mechanical solidarity is based on traditions, habits and morals; characteristics very present in pre-capitalist societies. Organic solidarity, on the other hand, is based on the interdependence generated by the specialization of work in the capitalist mode of production.
| mechanical solidarity | organic solidarity | |
|---|---|---|
| objective | social cohesion | social cohesion |
| societies | Simple | complex |
| production mode | pre-capitalist | Capitalist |
| division of labor | Rudimentary or non-existent. People do the same tasks. | Complex, functions are specialized, generating an interdependence between different tasks and individuals. |
| individuals | Independent and similar to each other. | Different from each other, but interdependent. |
| social cohesion factor | Strength of tradition, beliefs and common habits. | The division of social work and the interdependence between different subjects. |
What is solidarity for Durkheim?
in your work From the Division of Social Work (1893), Durkheim states that solidarity is a moral relationship that makes individuals perceive themselves as belonging to the same society.
These are values based on traditions, customs and the way of acting in society that govern the actions and ensure that the same way of life is shared by these individuals, preventing chaos Social.
Among all these factors, Durkheim sees work as the main generator of solidarity. The work defines how individuals act and organize themselves socially, a determining factor for social cohesion.
What is mechanical solidarity?
In a pre-capitalist period, the social division of labor was very simple. In general, people performed the same task in production (peasants, artisans, small traders, etc.).
As people tend to do the same tasks, one person's work is independent of another's work.
Thus, social cohesion is guaranteed by tradition, morals and customs, which have great strength, capable of uniting individuals.
In these societies, the law is based on the maintenance of customs to ensure that they are respected and that society remains cohesive around these traditions.
In this way, mechanical solidarity acts as a mechanism based on common beliefs, which make life in society possible.
What is organic solidarity?
As society becomes more complex, individuals no longer share their beliefs, habits and traditions, requiring a change also in the way to ensure social cohesion.
With the transformation to the capitalist mode of production, tasks become more and more specialized. Each individual fulfills a specific task.
Durkheim states that this specialization of work also has the characteristic of making people more dependent on each other. Since the task of one depends on the execution of the task of others.
Thus, individuals create bonds of interdependence, generating a new form of solidarity and guaranteeing social cohesion - organic solidarity.
In this structure, the role of law also becomes more complex and seeks to respond to the creation of guarantees and duties that different citizens can share.
In this way, organic solidarity is based on the understanding of society as a body in which the good functioning requires that the different bodies fulfill their functions in an interconnected and interdependent.
Interested? See too:
- Durkheim
- anomie
- Social Division of Labor
- What is Social Fact?
- Stages of Capitalism
- Sociology Issues
Bibliographic references
Durkheim, Emile. "Durkheim: sociology." São Paulo: Attica (2003)