Page 135 - Essencials of Sociology

108 CHAPTER 4 Social Structure and Social Interaction

The warm, more intimate relationships of Gemeinschaft society are apparent in the photo taken at this weekly market in Myanmar. The more
impersonal relationships of Gesellschaft society are evident in this Internet cafe in Seattle, where customers are ignoring one another.

contracts replace handshakes. Much of our time is spent with strangers and short-term
Gemeinschaft a type of society in
which life is intimate; a community acquaintances.
in which everyone knows everyone
else and people share a sense of How Relevant Are These Concepts Today? I know that Gemeinschaft, Gesell-
togetherness schaft, and mechanical and organic solidarity are strange terms and that Durkheim’s
and Tönnies’ observations must seem like a dead issue. The concern these sociologists
Gesellschaft a type of society that
is dominated by impersonal rela- expressed, however—that their world was changing from a community in which peo-
tionships, individual accomplish- ple were united by close ties and shared ideas and feelings to an anonymous associa-
ments, and self-interest tion built around impersonal, short-term contacts—is still very real. In large part, this
same concern explains the rise of Islamic fundamentalism (Volti 1995). Islamic leaders
fear that Western values will uproot their traditional culture, that cold rationality will
replace the warm, informal, personal relationships among families and clans. They
fear, rightly so, that this will also change their views on life and morality. Although the
terms may sound strange, even obscure, you can see that the ideas remain a vital part
of today’s world.

In Sum: Whether the terms are Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft or mechanical solidarity
and organic solidarity, they indicate that as societies change, so do people’s orientations
to life. The sociological point is that social structure sets the context for what we do, feel, and
think, and ultimately, then, for the kind of people we become. As you read the Cultural
Diversity box on the next page, which describes one of the few remaining Gemeinschaft
societies in the United States, think of how fundamentally different your life would be if
you had been reared in an Amish family.

The Microsociological Perspective:
Discuss what symbolic
4.3
interactionists study and explain Social Interaction in Everyday Life
dramaturgy, ethnomethodology,
and the social construction of As you have seen, macrosociologists focus on the broad features of society. Micro-
reality. sociologists, in contrast, examine narrower slices of social life. Their primary focus
is face-to-face interaction—what people do when they are in one another’s presence.
Before you study the main features of social interaction, look at the photo essay on
pages 110 and 111. See if you can identify both social structure and social interaction
in each of the photos.