The Construction of Society & Cultural Norms

The religious tendency of navigating a complicated world according to Emile Durkheim

Summary: Society often appears static but, in reality, society is a conglomeration of history’s process of becoming which resulted in a variety of norms, patterns, and structures. Emile Durkheim claimed such a process was the result of society’s innate pursuit of the ideal. If true, we currently exist in this process and we might want to consider what it means to be a part of it.

Image from canva.com; used with permission.

Overview:

• How do norms become normal?
• Religion as a societal force that creates and enacts society.
• This tendency comes through Durkheim’s conception of the ideal.
• The ideal can only be a process and has several issues.
• As a current part of society, we need to consider four ways to participate in this process today.

For more on Sociology & Emile Durkheim:

What It Means to Be Part of Society

The Key Ingredient to a Healthy Society

Is Society Good or Bad?

Secular, Spiritual, & Still Quite Religious

Introduction