Apparently modernity isn’t all that bad – not all doom and gloom as some would have you believe. Simmel and Benjamin think so anyway. Their approach to sociology is a little different to others. Sure, there are still some Marxist and Weberian notions in their recipe, but they throw in some ideas from intoxicated artists, aesthetics, and find significance in the chaos of modern life. This essay will look at these notions, first by examining the formulation of Simmel and Benjamin’s theories and secondly examining how these differ from other approaches.
TAKE SOME BAUDELAIRE...
Of course we cannot begin a discussion of the work of Simmel and Benjamin without mentioning the influence of the poet Baudelaire, whose observations and writings in the mid-19th century on city life informed both Simmel and Benjamin’s perspectives of the modern condition, and resultingly their sociological approach to its examination. For Baudelaire, life in the metropolises of 19th century Europe – Berlin, Paris, London, etc – was an experience informed by the crowd; the masses that flocked to the cities; that filled the streets and walkways; of multifarious shape, form and grade. While some responded with dismay and disdain to such a mass (Engles and Poe), Baudelaire allows the experience to wash over him, refraining from such a critical perspective but observing with interest and describing within his works the interactions and dances between people. The observer watches the dance of variety; of the many; of the mass – he is the flâneur (Benjamin 1973: 128).
The flâneur is the well-to-do gentleman with time on his hands, who strolls, who wanders casually the streets of the city drawing in the display of the crowd – of variety, juxtaposition, of change....
... middle of paper ...
...omes one on meaning – something that contrary to some notions can be found by looking at pieces of modernity – through an interpretative perspective. Modernity is thus redeemed – Utopia is still in sight.
Works Cited
Benjamin, Walter, 1973, Charles Baudelaire: A Lyric Poet in the Era of High Capitalism, London, New Left Books, pp. 120-131; 157-158
Buck-Morss, Susan, 1993, ‘Dreamworld of Mass Culture’ in Levin, David (ed), Modernity and the Hegemony of Vision, Berkley, University of California Press
Clark, Nigel, 1999, Lecture Notes: Georg Simmel and Walter Benjamin, University Of Auckland
Craib, Ian, 1997, Classical Social Theory, Oxford, Oxford University Press, Ch. 10 Frisby, David, 1985 ‘Georg Simmel: First Sociologist of Modernity’ in Theory, Culture
and Society, Vol. 2, No. 3 Simmel, Georg, 1950, The Sociology of Georg Simmel, New York, The Free Press, Ch. 4
Three thinkers form the foundations of modern-day sociological thinking. Émile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Max Weber. Each developed different theoretical approaches to help us understand the way societies function, and how we are determined by society. This essay will focus on the contrasts and similarities of Durkheim and Weber’s thought of how we are determined by society. It will then go on to argue that Weber provides us with the best account of modern life.
Du Bois and Georg Simmel use their theories to further examine many of the social issues that are still present in society today, such as inequalities. Simmel and Du Bois both discuss issues such as the feeling of a lack of belongingness felt by outsiders within a society where they may be tolerated, but not fully accepted. What Du Bois and Simmel do not share, however, is the idea of a level of appreciation. Perhaps the issue is deeper than just that of a stranger and a seventh son, but rather an issue of race or historical background.
The movie “A Bug’s Life” shares the story of a colony of ants that are trapped in a vicious cycle of gathering food for the powerful grasshoppers year after year. The ants become wary of collecting food and soon realize a revolution is needed to free themselves from the grip of the grasshoppers. Throughout “A Bug’s Life”, a critical analysis of character interaction contributes to a greater understanding of the functionalist theory, conflict theory, and Marxism and how these sociological principles create a competitive society and inevitably lead to societal change.
Gustave Flaubert incorporates and composes a realistic piece of literature using realistic literature techniques in his short story, “A Simple Heart.” Flaubert accomplishes this through telling a story that mimics the real life of Félicité, and writing fiction that deliberately cuts across different class hierarchies; through this method, Flaubert
Conley, Dalton. (2013). You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking like a Sociologist (3rd edition). Columbus, OH: W. W. Norton & Company.
This paper deals, in broadest terms, with the questions of how artwork is connected to the changes and dynamics that prevail in a society. To describe these changes, I will investigate how a specific type of art reflects its social content in contemporary societies. My analysis is carried out by closely looking at the Pop Art movement, especially with Andy Warhol, who has come to be known as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. It will be argued that Pop Art managed to successfully articulate its time, and in so doing, it became a widely influential art movement whose effect is still very much existent in today’s world of art. In order to prove its claim, this paper relies on the theory of “the field of cultural production” by Pierre
Berger, Peter L. Invitation to Sociology; a Humanistic Perspective. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1963. Print.
In nineteenth-century England, when the Industrial Revolutions and Reform Acts happened, new cultures were formed amongst the working class, and these new cultures include “[...] trade unions, working-class life styles (as incorporated into ‘popular’ journalism, advertising, and commercial entertainment)” (124). In this example of an emergent culture in nineteenth- century England, Williams emphasizes that emergent culture is either an alternative or an opposition to the dominant culture. As Williams’s example, newly formed classes are non-dominant classes, and they create cultures to either substitute or disagree with the dominant culture. However, the dominant culture still exists; thus, “the process of emergence, in such conditions, is then a constantly repeated, an always renewable, move beyond a phase of practical incorporation: usually made much more difficult by the fact that much incorporation looks like recognition, acknowledgement, and thus a form of acceptance” (124-125). Moreover, as we discussed in class, mass culture relies on and absorbs popular culture which is a culture derived from working class. In other words, many of cultures that we consider as mass culture might have been an emergent culture once- that later mass
Appelrouth, Scott, and Laura Desfor Edles. Classical and Contemporary Sociological Theory: Text and Readings . Edition 2. Los Angeles: Pine Forge Press, 2012. 256-654. Print.
In Peter Berger's "Invitation to Sociology", the sociological perspective was introduced. Berger asserts that it is important to examine new or emotionally or morally challenging situations from a sociological perspective in order to gain a clearer understanding of their true meanings. This perspective requires a person to observe a situation through objective eyes. It is important to "look beyond" the stereotypical establishments of a society and focus on their true, hidden meanings. Consideration of all the hidden meanings of social customs, norms, deviations and taboos, allow one to establish an objective image about the truth behind it. This method can also be applied to understanding people. This questioning, Berger says, is the root influence of social change and personal understanding of others. To do this well, it involves much intellectual prowess and ability to reason.
The social conditions that people lived in, in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were of the greatest significance of the production of sociology, the different problems and social disorder that resulted from the series of political revolutions escorted in by the French Revolution in 1789 distressed many early social theorists, when they eventually came to the conclusion that it was impossible to return to the old order , they wanted to find new sources of order in societies that had been disturbed by the different dramatic political changes.
Newman, David. Sociology: Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, California: Pine Forge Press, 1997.
There are many classical sociologists in the world with many different theories and key elements within the sociological imagination. James Fulcher and John Scott (p.21, 2011) explain why theories of sociologists in past time and todays modern so-ciety are so important and why they can still be relevant today, “theory is or should be an attempt to describe and explain the real world, it is impossible to know any-thing about the real world without drawing on some kind of theoretical ideas.” Per-ceptions of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Max Weber (who can also be known as the ‘holy trinity’ of the three founding fathers) theories have been interpreted for hundreds of years, leading to them having a remarkable impact in history and to-day’s society. However the relevance of these theories in contemporary sociology raises a magnitude of different questions and opinions on how the theories effect citizens in society to this day. Furthermore this essay will be focusing on how the three sociologists discussed and argued certain concepts such as inequality and social change, also how they can relate to key events, for example the Olympics the Arab Spring and the 2011 riots. In addition to this how they help our understanding of current societies, times and events.
Scanlan J Stephen; Guest-editor; Grauerjolz Liz (2009) 50 Years of C.Wright Mills and the Sociological Imagination, Teaching Sociology 37, (1), pp1-7
Marsh, I and Keating, M., eds. (1996) Sociology: Making sense of society., ed [2006], England: Pearson Education.