The Construction of Society & Cultural Norms
The religious tendency of navigating a complicated world according to Emile Durkheim
13 min readJun 17, 2022
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.
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