SOCI2050 7th August 2020

Week 2: Work society

(Why work is important?)

Two main and seemingly antithesis processes: differentiation and

integration

 Integration: about the ways we participate and contribute to society (through

social interaction etc. buying a cup of coffee, posting sth on Facebook).
 Differentiation: from division of labour about diving tasks, processes,
organisations (etc. different departments), areas (what we do is different from
person to person, things are divided up)

Differentiation is about dividing processes and integration is about how are they
linked.

If there is no "differentiation" and no "courtesy", people will do whatever they like

with the desire of "evil", which will eventually lead to internal chaos, mutual isolation
and extinction.

Work and employment need both!

The (premodern) familial division of labour (the most fundamental

social and economic units)

Everyone in the family is equally productive (about contributions to run the

household economy).
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Three tiers of familial division of labour

 1. Gendered division of labour between man and woman

 2. When several families are united, and their connections make them to be
formed as a village (aims at something more than the supply of daily needs).
 3. When several villages are united and become a single complete community,
the state come into existence, originating in the bare needs of life and to pursuit
a good life (etc. a nation which can be self-sufficient, supply of food, electricity……)

Mechanical solidarity (pre-modern society): Expressed as a strong collective

consciousness, that is, all members believe the same values.

Removing one part/component has little or no social consequences (etc. if one of

the ten household in the village burns down, there is no consequence for the village,
and it will still function as before).

The modern society (interdependence)

There is no society without social division of labour

 Compared with animals, humans alone can form societies on the basis of
a division of labour in order to survive.
 No one can do everything; the power of individual human being is not
sufficient.
 The division of labour can result in a social (distribution of status and
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income) and political (distribution of power) order.
 The division of labour can also result in economic order (etc. create a
labour market, specialisation requiring exchange resulting in distribution of
wealth).
 The division of labours based on location (etc. people can go fishing if they
live close to the sea, people can provide wood if they live close to the forest.
Therefore, some people provide fish and others provide woods, and they can
help each other out).
 The division of labour as a source of individuality (namely talent: human
beings has different talent and skills; we are not alike. This makes people to
choose their career), but also reciprocity (exchange: mutual assistance, but
not all contributions are of equal value, a carpenter’s work is more or better
than a dyer’s. Therefore, a mediator or an adjustor called money is created).
 The division of labour results in chain of tasks, performances and roles
that form a process and eventually a structure, an industry, and an
economy.
 The division of labour increase efficiency in production (mass production).

How does it come about that the individual, whilst becoming more autonomous
(differentiation), depends ever more closely upon society (reciprocity)?

Ever-increasing division of labour!

Organic solidarity (modern society):

(1) With a high degree of division of labour, people depend on different parts of
society, society is like an organism.

(2) Individual consciousness is separated from collective consciousness, and

society develops individuality among members.

(3) The society combines individual consciousness and collective consciousness

organically to achieve social integration by respecting individuals, providing fair
opportunities and requiring individuals to perform social responsibilities.

Removing one part/component has significant consequences.

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Late-modern work societies

Hyper-differentiation (late-modern society):

Reciprocity/ Irreplaceability and interdependence of individuals

Two types of integration today

 Social integration: about the negotiation of a society’s norms and values

(etc. precarious work, gendered division of labour, pay gap)
 Systemic integration: about contributing to the material reproduction of
society on the basis of given norms and values (you do not and cannot
negotiate, etc. when u take a bus, you do not negotiate the ticket price and
where the bus stop, they are all defined)

Important!
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Week 4 assignment