Construction of Society

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Tonnies' theories of Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft, which suggest two distinctly different ways in which society can be structured. The paper describes the former as essentially rural and arising from a shared moral vision held by persons of close ties and the latter as urban and arising from fear of the different members of the society. The paper uses two theoretical photographs to illustrate these concepts.

From the Paper:

"Gemeinschaft/Gesellschaft in Photographs The first photograph, which would illustrate Gemeinschaft, depicts a group of people, many of whom are members of the same extended family, although some are neighbors and friends. They all live in the same small village or community. There are no obvious ethnic or social distinctions among them. Children and elderly people are included in the group, and there are both males and females, in approximately equal numbers. In the photograph, these people are engaged in cooking and serving a holiday meal to other persons less fortunate than themselves. Although the photograph could include any ethnic group, and any holiday celebration, for the purpose of discussion, in this case it will be white working-class Americans (farmers), serving a Christmas dinner to a variety of poor people of various ethnicities and races."

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