Durkheim's Theory of Division of Labour and Social Solidarity, Slides of English Literature

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Division of Labour

• Durkheim’s “Theory of Division of Labour” is often regarded as his major contribution to the field of sociological thought.
• Durkheim’s doctoral thesis, “Division of Labour in Society” – 1893
• The theme of this book is the relationship between individuals and society or the collectivity.
• It is indeed a classic study of social solidarity. In this book he reacted against the view that modern industrial society could be based simply upon agreement between individuals motivated by self-interest and without any prior consensus.
• He agreed that the kind of consensus in modern society was different from that in simpler social systems. But he saw both of these as two types of social solidarity.

Meaning of Division of Labour:

• The concept of “Division of Labour” has been used in

three ways:

• (i) in the sense of the technical division of labour, it

describes the production process;

• ii) as the sexual division of labour, it describes social

divisions between men and women;

• (iii) as the social division of labour, it refers to

differentiation in society as a whole. [It is in the third

sense that Durkheim uses this term.]

• In a general sense, the term division of labour involves

the assignment to each unit or group a specific share of

a common task.

Two Main Types of Social Solidarity:

• As it is made clear that the main theme of the book “Division of Labour in Society” by Durkheim is the relationship between the individual and society.
• The nature of this relationship could be stated in the form of two questions:
• (i) How can a large number of individuals make up a society-?
• (ii) How can these individuals achieve ‘consensus’ which is the basic condition of social existence?
• In his attempts to answer these vital questions Durkheim drew up a distinction between two forms of solidarity namely:
• (i) mechanical solidarity and (ii) organic solidarity
• These two types of solidarity were found in the traditional tribal societies and in the modern complex urban societies.

1. Mechanical Solidarity:

• Mechanical solidarity refers to “social solidarity based upon homogeneity of values and behaviour, strong social constraint, and loyalty to tradition and kinship.
• The term applied to small, non-literate societies characterised by a simple division of labour, very little specialisation of function, only a few social roles and very little tolerance of individuality.
• Mechanical solidarity is solidarity of resemblance.
• It is rooted in the similarity of the individual members of a society. In the society where this kind of solidarity prevails individuals do not differ from one another much.
• They are the members of the same collectivity and resemble one another because “they feel the same emotions, cherish the same values, and hold the same things sacred.

• The society is coherent because the individuals are not

yet differentiated.” Here we find the strong states of

the “Collective Conscience.”

• Collective conscience refers “to the sum total of beliefs

and sentiments common to the average members of

the society.”

• This prevails mostly in primitive societies. The

common conscience completely covers individual

mentality and morality.

• “Here social constraint is expressed most decisively in

repressive, severe criminal law which serves to

maintain mechanical solidarity.”

• Division of labour and the consequent dissimilarities among men bring about increasing interdependence in society.
• The interdependence is reflected in human mentality and morality and in the fact of organic solidarity itself. In organic solidarity, consensus results from differentiation itself.
• The individuals are no longer similar, but different. It is precisely because the individuals are different that consensus is achieved.
• With the increase in division of labour the collective conscience lessens.
• Thus, criminal law tends to be replaced by civil and administrative law.
• Here the stress is on restitution of rights rather than on punishment
• RESTITUTIVE LAW
• An increase in organic solidarity would represent moral progress stressing the higher values of equality, liberty, fraternity, and justice. Even here, the social constraints in the form of contracts and laws continue to play a major role.