Thursday, May 7, 2009

Feminism Applied to the ASUC, a Bureaucratic Organization

At a liberal university, one would think that the relationship between male and female genders would be more egalitarian. However, through Patricia Hill Collins' analysis of gender, race, and class, we see that even in modern bureaucracies issues of gender equality and race can prevail.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Bureaucracy in concrete

I will relate Weber's preconditions to bureaucracy to ABC Concrete.

Weber's Rational Bureaucracy within East Bay Consortium

I will describe Weber's theory about bureaucracy through its preconditions and six institutional features that makes it possible. Then, I will analyze bureaucracy within East Bay Consortium, a non-profit organization dedicated to promote and enable students to attain their goals through higher education.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Bureaucracy and the Human Rights Campaign

This essay will discuss Weber's theory of Bureaucracy, the bureaucratic official, and its preconditions. Additionally, it will tie this theory with the Human Rights Campaign.

Military and Rational Bureaucracy

The Spirit of Capitalism

This paper provides an explanation of the Spirit of Capitalism (with the inclusion of the iron cage), and how it could or could not be applied to the Theater world.

Rational Bureaucracy and Safe Passage

In this essay I will describe the basic characteristics and the preconditions of rational bureaucracy as portrayed by Max Weber. I will then discuss whether Safe Passage, a day-care center in Guatemala, has the characteristics of a rational bureaucracy.

Weber's Rational Bureaucracy in Maganda

In Max Weber's essay on bureaucracy, Weber examines the different features of bureaucracy in terms of the officials appointed, the institution itself, and the historical preconditions necessary for a bureaucracy to emerge. He argues that bureaucracy is the most efficient and calculated form of capitalist organization, as it is “purely technical superiority over any other form of organization” (214). In the same rationale as Weber's bureaucracy, I find that through restructuring Maganda Magazine toward micro-managing and revising our constitution to solidify the terms of appointment for staff members, my institution under study is gearing more toward functioning as a bureaucratic organization rather than the grassroots organization that we started out as...

An Institution of Rational Bureaucracy

The ASUC is a unique institution in that it modeled after the United States Government. Without being paid, the executive and senate officials are elected by a body of students. These students are slated to make change and represent the voice of the students on campus. The ASUC is a form of Weber's rational bureaucracy in the sense that it is hierarchical in structure, treating its constituents as a democracy in order to try to address all issues on campus.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Weber's Rational Bureaucracy and the Children's Shelter

This essay will first explain Weber's rational bureaucracy. It will explore the institutional features and the historic preconditions that are necessary in order for bureaucracy to exist. The second essay will examine how bureaucracy operates in the Children's Shelter.

Rational Bureaucracy in Professional Baseball

This memo explains what a rational bureaucracy is according to Max Weber and then applies that theory to professional baseball teams.

Friday, April 10, 2009

This short memo illustrates the fundamental features found in Weber's ideal rational bureaucracy. I then show how rational bureaucracy is found within Homeland Securty.

Rational Bureaucracy in The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation

In this short essay, I address the features and pre-conditions of Weber's ideal bureaucracy as well as the characteristics of the official . I then provide evidence of how the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, formerly known as the School of the Americas, is an example of Weber's rational bureaucracy.

Bureaucracy in School

In this essay I outline Weber's defining characteristics and preconditions for rational bureaucracy. I then apply these criteria to the US education system.

Weber's Rational Bureaucracy in Public High Schools

In this essay, I first define Weber's rational bureaucracy and then I reveal how it appears in public high schools.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Rational Bureaucracy in the American Red Cross

This essay describes the preconditions of rational bureaucracy and the features of bureaucracy in institutions. It then demonstrates the ways in which rational bureaucracy operates in the American Red Cross.

Weber' Bureaucracy in a Middle School Tutoring Agency

Read the paper for idea. Sorry late for class so no abstract.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Bureaucracy and the Men's Story Project

Abstract: Six features common to bureaucratic institutions remove the personalistic elements of human interaction.  These ensure that the bureaucrat knows his place in the system.  As long as the bureaucrat knows his place, he can treat his office as a vocation (W198).  None of this can come into being, however, without four preconditions.  The Men's Story Project (MSP) is not a rational bureaucracy.  Ultimately, the flexibility that results from Weber's patrimonial qualities is essential to the maintenance of the project while it is in its starting stages.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Warning over narcissistic pupils

Here's an interesting article.

Lead-in: The growing expectation placed on schools and parents to boost pupils' self-esteem is breeding a generation of narcissists, an expert has warned.

Argument: "Schools have to hold out that they are educational establishments," she said.
"They are not surrogate psychologists or mental health professionals."

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Spirit of Capitalism in America

David Brooks, a columnist for the New York Times, just wrote an article basically about the spirit of capitalism in America. He seems to think it's still around but is suppressed during recessions. What do y'all think?

Article link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/opinion/17brooks.html?em

Monday, March 16, 2009

Foucault's Sovereign and Disciplinary power in Marriage

In this essay I will be discussing Foucault's theory on the transition of power, and the characteristics of both Sovereign and Disciplinary power. I will also demonstrate how they affect and are displayed in the institution of marriage.

Sovereign Power Vs. Disciplinary Power

This paper discusses the difference between sovereign and disciplinary power and their relation to trade union institutions. 

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Foucault on the Human Rights Campaign

This essay will explore Foucault's theory of power and its application to the Human Rights Campaign.

Foucault: Discipline, Sovereignty, and Coops

Disciplinary Power and Welfare

Memo #2

This memo highlights the differences between Foucault's models of sovereign and disciplinary power and examines the ways in which disciplinary power operates within a sorority.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Sovereign and Disciplinary Power

This essay explores the difference between sovereign and disciplinary power. In the second half of the essay I examine how my sorority functions under disciplinary power. I examine who exercises the power and to what extent.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Sovereign vs. Disciplinary Power

In this essay....

Possibilities of Sovereign and Disciplinary Power in the Prison System

There may be more to the prison system than a corrective institution, this essay will explore elements of sovereign power that can exist within the prison.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Foucault, Sovereign v. Disciplinary Power and the Sports Team

Foucault describes sovereign power as a power of ascending individualism and disciplinary power as a power of descending individualism. Disciplinary power incorporates hierarchical observation, normalizing judgment, and examination to measure each individual's deviation from a norm. On the sports team, both sovereign and disciplinary power come into play.

Power and discipline in the slums of Guatemala

In this paper I describe and compare sovereign and disciplinary power as Foucault describes it an see if these are present in a day-care center in Guatemala City.

Sovereign power is first and foremost repressive and is exemplified by Foucault in the public execution. The power of the omnipotent ruler is exercised publicly, explicitly and passionately on the body of the condemned man (9f). This spectacle serves to show the power of the sovereign and generates public fear to keep the public from committing acts of crime. The centre of attention is on the one exercising power.
In contrast, in disciplinary power the centre of attention is on the individual, and following Foucault’s example, the rehabilitation of the criminal (19). Although punishment is still exercised on the body, usually in the form of restraints, the main focus is the soul (16). The deviant is not mainly punished, but corrected (19). Disciplinary power therefore has a positive, creative aspect. As opposed to sovereign power that is centralised, disciplinary power is diffuse and scattered. Foucault calls this “the micro-physics of power” (26). In the same way as the handling of the criminal was transferred from the executioner to a team of technicians (warders, doctors, chaplains, psychiatrics etc.), power is not exercised by one entity, but exists as a more differentiated and more or less intangible and sometimes hidden force throughout society and it’s institutions (26). Disciplinary power trains the individual through three main instruments: hierarchical observation, normalizing judgement and their combination, examination (170). Hierarchical observation functions as a piece of machinery and is coercive by nature; observation is itself an exercise of power and control over the ones kept visible (170f, 177). Inherent to punishment lies an evaluation of normality (20f): it “compares, differentiates, hierarchizes, homogenizes, excludes” (183). Combined, these two instruments constitute examination. Individuals become “cases” that are constantly held under surveillance and evaluation (192).
My choice of organisation is Camino Seguro / Safe Passage, a non-profit in Guatemala City, that takes care of the children of the families working at the garbage dump. CS has day-care centre that is both a school and a medical facility. Functioning as a school, this institution has an inherent corrective and rehabilitative aspect, i.e. disciplinary power. Hierarchical observation, by both teacher and volunteer, is used to keep the children in line at their desks. Normalization takes place through both tests and homework and correction of behaviour. Deviance is occasionally punished by a verbal reprimand in front of the class, an exercise of sovereign power. Generally, volunteers are told to take a troublesome child aside and “talk to them”, that is instructing them how to behave like “normal”. This is disciplinary power.
This institution is interesting because it exercises disciplinary power in several domains: It aims to “foster hope, good health, educational achievement, self-sufficiency, self esteem and confidence.” One part is the examination of the body: At one point the entire mass of children were treated for lice, very much like plague victims. On the other hand, such qualities as self-esteem and confidence are abstract and part of the soul. Although these qualities are generally held to be good, one could easily argue that they are part of the discourse of the individual, and have a normative quality (compare to the normative pressure in parts of present society not to conform and to have and stand for ones own opinions). The children’s families are also examinated. To get their children accepted, they must fulfil certain requirements, for example abstinence from alcohol. Would Foucault say that this holistic approach is just an extreme and even more extensive exercise of disciplinary power, examinating and forging every part of the individual? Are these children giving up liberty to gain the advantages and possibilities of education and health service, even if that is the liberty to roam the streets and most likely staying in the slums indefinitely and possibly become criminals?

Foucault: Sovereign and Disciplinary Power

In this paper, I first explain the difference between sovereign and discipline power. I will then examine how disciplinary power is exercised in the Silicon Valley Children's Shelter.

Sovereign and Disciplinary Power

I will show the main difference(s) between sovereign and disciplinary power from the readings of Michel Foucault.

Sovereign and Disciplinary Power and Dictatorship

In this essay, I compare sovereign and disciplinary power, and explain how both were present in the tactics used by the 1976-83 Argentinean dictatorial regime.

Sovereign and Disciplinary Power in the inner-workings of Maganda Magazine

In Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison, Michel Foucault outlines two different forms of power—the sovereign power and the disciplinary power—using examples of a public execution (which displays sovereign power) versus a prison time table (which displays disciplinary power). With these examples, he supports that, while sovereign power is a public, violent spectacle and is meant to demonstrate the power of the sovereign, disciplinary power is all the more effective because it is invisible and mean to strike at the soul as opposed to the body. In this paper I will elaborate on the difference between sovereign and disciplinary power and describe how the two powers play out in my institution of study, the student organization and publication Maganda Magazine.
Foucault observes that history has made the slow transition from sovereign power to disciplinary power, proposing that disciplinary power is insidious and thus a more effective form. Acting on violent, public punishment, it is clear where sovereign power comes from (the king) and what its main purpose is (to demonstrate to the public the consequences of breaking the law). In contrast, because disciplinary power is so embedded in every aspect of our life, in every institution and micro-institution, it is difficult to really pinpoint where disciplinary power comes from. In this way, it strikes at the soul as opposed to the body because individuals internalize and self-correct their actions in case a form of disciplinary power is observing them (16). As an invisible force, disciplinary power works to rehabilitate individuals and correct their deviation from the norms of society.
With my student organization, Maganda Magazine, a mix of sovereign power and disciplinary power are at work. As the Editor in Chief of the magazine, it is clear to me that staff members look up to me as an authoritative figure and expect reprimand if someone is not doing their job. Being in the position that I am and having the title I have, it is difficult to express myself and my privilege of power in an invisible way, especially during staff meetings when I have to facilitate and make sure we are on the ball with everything. Here, sovereign power is at work, especially during our weekly staff meetings. In fact, I have recently instated this form of punishment and public humiliation where anyone who comes late to our staff meetings has to spell their name in the air using their butt. Everyone on staff agreed that this public humiliation will get people to come to staff meetings on time.
The fact that our publication runs on a strict production timeline shows how we operate using disciplinary power. At the beginning of each semester, we set up deadlines for ourselves so that we have a holistic sense of where our magazine is going. As a whole staff we agree to follow these deadlines. Though I exercise my power as the “sovereign” to punish people that do not follow the deadlines, I believe setting up the production timeline operates more as a disciplinary power because we all hold ourselves accountable to it. In this sense, power is decentralized because we all have the power. Secondly, if someone does not follow a deadline there is not public humiliation or reprimand where I torture the person for not conforming. Since everyone on staff feels it is their responsibility to follow deadlines, everyone on staff is hurt and affect when someone does not. Thus, this sets up an internalized feeling within each individual staff member that if they don’t keep up with the deadlines, they are hurting the rest of staff.

Foucault in the Classroom (frightening thought)

Sovereign and disciplinary power are differentiated in various ways but most importantly in how power is exercised, to what end, and who is constructed as individuals. In my institution of a middle school tutoring program, almost all the power exhibited is disciplinary. And there's a lot of it....

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Foucault on Sovereign Power vs. Disciplinary Power

In my essay, I compare sovereign power to disciplinary power as defined by Foucault. I also show how these forms of power exist within the American Red Cross non-profit organization.

Sovereign versus Disciplinary Power

In this blog, I explain the difference between Foucault's sovereign and disciplinary power. Also, I mention the ways in which disciplinary power is present and operates in public high schools.

Foucault!!!

Difference between sovereign and disciplinary power. My institutions are schools.

Foucault Paper

One of the main differences between sovereign power and disciplinary power is how they punish the individual. In sovereign power, the individual is punished publicly, passionately and violently. For example, the execution of Damiens was made public by having him dragged throughout Paris and violent because his body was filled with hot iron and then quartered (Foucault 3-6). Sovereign power punishes the body and theatrically shows the event to instill fear in the people and how powerful is their king (9). The executioner carries out the punishment based on the knowledge of law, which centralizes power to the king.

Under disciplinary power, punishment is hidden from the public, made quick, and rational (9-10). Foucault uses the time-table at the juvenile reformatory as an example of how regimented and rational disciplinary power can be (6-7). The purpose of punishment is to rehabilitate the individual and produce a person that can function in society (19, 24). Thus the soul is the target under disciplinary power because in order to change the body one must discipline and correct the soul (24-25, 30). Institutions like the psychiatry wards and education that hold micro-physics of power which decentralizes power from one person to many places (26). As a result, technicians like educators and psychiatrists use the corrective power. They base their knowledge of what is normal and what is deviant on scientific knowledge (18).

For the sorority house that I have been observing, they are more disciplinary power than they are sovereign power, however there are elements that have both. The sovereign power is exercised in the form of the national sorority headquarters. Here the rules that each chapter across the country must follow. If the chapter is going out of control or violates any of the rules, the national headquarters will send someone to look at and make recommendations of discipline. The house that I have observed has not had that problem because they uphold the national and house rules strictly. The rules are disciplinary because they ask the girls to conform to an anti-substance, “non lady-like” behavior, and pro-sisterhood and philanthropic stance as one sister mentioned. The president of the house is like a sovereign, in the sense that she is looked up as the girl with power and serves a model of what the “ideal” sister should be. Although there is no true time-table, like Foucault mentions, in the house, the ones of punctuality are heavily enforced, especially for the mandatory meeting. For a sister that has been caught violating any of the house or sorority rules, they will receive a letter from the Standards committee, which enforce the rules. In private, after the meeting, the committee will meet with the sister and discuss what she did and why it was necessary to bring her “to standards.” Punishment is not physical of course because that violates the rules set forth by the national headquarters but rather that attack “the soul.” The soul, in this case, is house points that a sister receives for every event she attends. Foucault mentions that power can act positively as well, granting rewards for those that follow the rules and the points system is a great example of this premise. The sister accumulates house points that can get her the best room in the house. By attending the events, the girls exchange their souls for the biggest or single room in the house.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Durkheim and the prison system

This essay will attempt to analyze how Durkheim might view the state prison system and how this institution might be considered a mechanical solidarity type of society.

Memo #1

This memo highlights the differences between notions of mechanical and organic solidarity, and explores how Durkheim's models of both concepts can be applied within the institutional setting of a national sorority.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Memo #1- Durkheim

Greg De Benedictis

Mechanical solidarity is solidarity based on likeness of people. He calls it mechanical because, like molecules, they are joined and connected to serve one function (84). According to Durkheim, it is made up of people with no individuality that share common norms and values. In an extreme case of mechanical solidarity, there would be no such thing as a division of labor because people would be doing the same thing, at the same time and even in the same pace. In this type of society, the collective consciousness is very strong compared to the individual consciousness. This type of solidarity has lots of repressive laws, whose goal is to punish those criminals who violate the collective consciousness. Durkheim believes that the punishment needs to be public so everyone can see what happens when a person commits a crime. It also needs to be passionate because the people would need to know how serious the crime is against the collective consciousness. Finally, it needs to be organized through legislative bodies or tribunals made by the people.
Organic solidarity is solidarity based on complementary differences. The division of labor and bonds to society are based on interdependence on other’s specialization for society. The individual consciousness is very strong against the collective consciousness. However, even though people have individual needs, they know that societal needs trump individual needs, just as Durkheim says that people are organs who work to function for the collective good of the body. This type of solidarity uses restitutive law, which restore relations back to the way it was, almost as if it never happened. In order to repair relations, there has to be sanctions organized for the division of labor, in which a criminal needs to be present. Durkheim is suggesting that the only way for solidarity to remain in society is for the state to regulate these relations, particularly economic relations. Once these contractual relations develop, non-contractual elements of contract form which underline values, consensus and trust. Only the state can create equalization of power between the different parts of society and as a result, it becomes bigger.
In the sorority I chose to observe, it seems that it definitely has a mix of both mechanical and organic solidarity. First off, the obvious the sorority are made up of women only so they share the same gender. The ladies share the same collective consciousness in regards to the principles they uphold: academics, community and sisterhood. According to the “laws” that govern the sorority, punishments for the crimes that would violate the collective consciousness depend on the severity. For example, a girl who is caught sneaking a boy into her room after hours will be disciplined by doing chores around the house and suspended visiting privileges. A girl is approached by an elder sister for a disciplinary meeting with officers and at the weekly house meeting, the president will make an announcement about the offense against the collective consciousness This is an example of a repressive law because the punishment is made public to everyone at the house meeting and it is organized by the disciplinary committee. The chapter council, which is made of sisters, plans events for the ladies, ranging from sister bonding to community outreach. Every sister must attend events unless they have a good reason. Thus, this follows the mechanical solidarity model because the ladies are supposed to do everything in unison with their sisters.
As for organic solidarity, the ladies obviously have their own individual consciousness with regard to attending other events aside from their own sorority. Some sisters are a part of different clubs on campus and play sports for various teams. Within the sorority, the girls can be a part of different groups like social committee, philanthropic committee, even a sustainability committee. Each girl works in different parts for the whole of the sorority. In this sorority, each girl comes from a different background in terms of race, class, and majors, which upholds the idea that the division of labor comes from the specialization of the individual that can contribute to the society. Finally, the “state” in this sorority would be the officers like the president, vice president, committee chairs, etc and they uphold the rules of the house and the sorority. They monitor the relations between each committee so no one committee or person is more powerful than another. Non-contractual relations are embedded within every activity and rule within the institution like trust your sisters to always be there and to honor the guiding principles of academics, community and sisterhood.

Memo #1

Friday, February 6, 2009

Durkheim's Organic Solidarity in the ASUC

This essay uses our student government, the Associate Students of the University of California, to demonstrate Durkheim's theory of organic solidarity.

Mechanical and Organic Solidarity

In this essay, I explain the differences between mechanical and organic solidarity. Then I connect the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, formerly known as the School of the Americas, with building mechanical solidarity in Bolivia's recent history.

Durkheim's Mechanical and Organic Solidarity

In this paper I will attempt to describe Durkheim's Mechanical and Organic solidarity. Furthermore, I will also apply his definitions of organic solidarity to the institution I chose which was marriage.

MS and OS in education

In a short essay, I will describe the difference between organic and mechanical solidarity. Moreover, I will apply it to my institution which is a high school.
This essay discusses the difference between Mechanical Solidarity and Organic Solidarity and how each one of them operates in the Theater (performing arts) institutions.
The following discusses the difference in mechanical solidarity and organic solidarity. In addition, it is applied to Homeland Security

Durkheim and illegal detention centers

In my first essay, I address the differences between mechanical and organic solidarity. In the second one, I study the film “Garage Olimpo” that depicts the relationship of Maria, an activist, who is kidnapped by the military, and Felix, a military officer. Maria is captured and tortured in a detention camp and becomes dependent on Felix’s protection for survival. Meanwhile, Felix fulfills his desire through her dependency. This relationship could appear to be based on organic solidarity. However, the use of this concept in this context is limited, as it does not question power relations.

M and O Solidarity

In this essay I will compare Solidarities and apply them to my institution.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

MS vs OS

I will discuss how Organic solidarity differs from Mechanical solidarity.

Mechanical Vs. Organic Solidarity

In this essay I will discuss the differences between Durkheim's mechanical and organic solidarity and how they apply to my sorority.

Durkheim in the US education system

After addressing the differences between mechanical and organic solidarity, I examine the possible existence of each within the American education system. Specifically, these Durkheimian concepts are applied to the interaction between wealthy class and working class schools districts.

Mechanical versus Organic Solidarity and their Appearance in Public High School

This memo reveals the differences between mechanical and organic solidarity. Also it discusses how mechanical and organic solidarity operates and fails to operate in public high schools.

Durkheim, Solidarity and Teams

Durkheim describes two types of solidarity, mechanical and organic. In this memo, I look at the relation of solidarity to the sports team.

Organic and Mechanical Solidarity in Maganda Magazine

According to Emile Durkheim, mechanical solidarity is based on the likeness and a collective consciousness between individuals in a society (39). The common consciousness is described as a system of common beliefs and understanding of various aspects of a society. When the collective consciousness is damaged by an individual, the society must work to repair the damage done to the common consciousness through penal codes, or repressive law (39). In order for repressive law, or punishment to effectively restore the collective consciousness, it must be: (1) passionate, where the society is able to direct its revenge on the damage (48), (2) public, where society collectively sees the criminal act as a wrong (50), and (3) organized by the courts and magistrate so that it is clearly understood by the collective society what the consequences are of crime. Durkheim associates mechanical solidarity with repressive laws because he sees them operating in a mechanical or automatic way where “punishment is therefore established with a kind of mechanical spontaneity” (57).
On the other hand, organic solidarity is achieved through having complementary differences in a society and is the more likely form of solidarity under a society with an increasing amount of division of labor (70). This solidarity is measured through restitutive laws that are in place in order to restore the relationships built under the division of labor (68). The difference between organic solidarity and mechanical solidarity is that the former does not operate on punishment. Rather, because the dominating form of consciousness in this society is an individualistic one, restoring the common consciousness through punishment is seen as unnecessary (71).
The institution which I chose to study, Maganda Magazine, a student-run literary/arts publication and organization on campus operates with both mechanical solidarity and organic solidarity. When individuals apply to be on the staff of Maganda, there is the unwritten understanding that their individual actions (or inactions) will affect the entire staff and how society perceives the organization as a whole. On that note, if anyone does not abide by this unwritten understanding—for example, if someone was to damage the collective consciousness by stepping back from their position and responsibilities, then consequences would follow in a both a mechanical and organic way.
Since we as a staff assume that everyone has an emotional investment in the growth of the publication and arts organization, it does damage to our consciousness and emotions if we saw that someone was not as emotionally invested in the organization as everyone else is. Secondly, we would have to make it public (at least within staff) that this is an issue that needs to be handled. Lastly, we would have to solve it in an organized fashion, whether that is transferring the responsibilities from the person who stepped back to other people on staff, or collectively figuring out how this person is still accountable to the organization.
Taking this same example and looking at through an organic solidarity lens, it also necessary to restore the relationships under the division of labor. As mentioned above, staff would have to figure out how to divide the labor of person who decided to step down from their position. It would mean that the authoritative figure and “head honcho,” such as the Editor in Chief, make sure that the responsibilities of that person are getting done. This calls for constant supervision and regulation of the responsibilities and tasks. Rather than a free-for-all, I’ll-do-what-I-want attitude, the division of labor must be restored in order to produce a sufficient product at the end of the year—the magazine.

Organic Solidarity in Little House on the Prairie

Mechanical Solidarity and Little House on the Prairie

Durkheim TIA About Afterschool Tutoring Program by Me

Durkheim studies society to discover what builds social solidarity—i.e., unity of individuals—which, to him, is an unquestioned moral good (24). He claims there is a succession two types of solidarity, first mechanical and then organic solidarity. The two rely on totally different solidarity-building mechanisms and can be measured by changes in types of laws which indirectly indicate the dominant type of solidarity (28-9).
Mechanical solidarity relies on the social glue of society-wide similarities engendered by a collective consciousness. In these societies individuals are born into and hold throughout their lives beliefs and feelings that are nearly universal to the society. This society-wide state of mind and world-view is called the collective consciousness (38-9). Because everyone thinks and feels the same, they also act the same and have unity with all other individuals. The state develops out of this consciousness and thus embodies and symbolizes its essence (42-3). The state also defends the consciousness by punishing criminals, whom, in effect, attack the collective consciousness (40). This punishment acts not to reform the criminal but to deter others from such attacks (63), and so, it is conducted publicly, passionately, and is organized (55-9). Because of this deterrence effect, this system is called repressive law (29).
Conversely, organic solidarity exists in societies where each individual is more prized because society needs them to fulfill their specialized role in the collective division of labor. Since society’s productive roles are so divided, the individuals in each role become inextricably interdependent on each other (85). These interdependencies create the unity by necessity found in organic solidarity. Simultaneously, the collective consciousness is replaced by stronger individual consciousnesses (172). Thus, the type of law found in such societies, restitutive law, exists not to protect the collective consciousness but to restore relationships between individuals that have been broken (68). This law does not attempt to destroy criminals and does not make public examples of them, but attempts to re-place individuals into the unity of division of labor.
In my institution, a child tutoring program, organic solidarity is most apparent in the division of labor between students and tutors. Students depend on tutors to teach them, and tutors depend on the students to learn from them. This interdependency creates the solidarity that the program survives on. Still, this solidarity is not guaranteed and restitutive-like rules exist. Most commonly, students are given detention if they have behavioral issues, such as not staying on task, or do not fill out their assignment log completely. Both problems disrupt their ability to be a student, and the punishment applies pressure for them to return to their student role. Conversely, if tutors fail to show up for work or are unprepared, they are reprimanded but then given several opportunities to return to the tutor role.
Mechanical solidarity, meanwhile, is most pronounced in the students. When in their role as students they exhibit remarkably similar ideas. All protest at some point about having to attend after-school and weekend tutorials. But despite these protestations, they all do attend and, for the most part, work diligently without constant supervision or threat of punishment. Punishment does, however, exist and is handed down by the tutor/adult group. This group can be seen as the state, since it embodies the children’s desire to learn and will punish deviations as attacks on this collective desire to learn. This is even true when those attacks are not seen as hostile (43), but instead—as they so commonly are—as disconnected comical outbursts that receive overblown repression. A perfect example of this is when a child was caught writing on art publicly displayed on a wall. This defacement of art, whose creators daily walked by, threatened the sanctity of well-performed learning. The leadership team then required him to erase all his marks during crowded tutorial hours. Many people—including myself—asked him what had transpired. Thus, this punishment was very publicly displayed and, so, understood by the general population; it evoked passion since each creator could see their defacer; and it was organized by the “state.” Finally, it drew the student out of his role as student for the time of the punishment, showing the “state” was not at all interested in restoring him to that specialized role.

Durkheim, Solidarity, and the Men’s Story Project

Abstract: Mechanical and organic solidarity differ from one another in five fundamental ways: how solidarity binds people, individuals' links to society, the relative importance of the collective versus individual consciousness, the dominant form of law, and the role of the state. The Men's Story Project came together through mechanical solidarity and became effective through organic solidarity. The challenge for the future is creating and increasing solidarity with new project members and potential audiences. This change will by necessity not be a revolution; it will happen one step at a time.

See first comment for the full essay.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Daschle, Obama, and the thousand threads?

Check out this article in the Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/us/politics/02daschle.html?ref=politics

Support for Lenin's thesis that any change of goverment leadership won't effect the thousand threads connecting the state to the capitalist class?