Emile Durkheim was a French sociologist, philosopher and psychologist. He also is the author of The Division of Labor in Society, in which he discusses how the division of labor helps create a feeling solidarity between men. Solidarity is the link between people that allows them to form a close-knit social group. He also believed that the separation of labor was financial interests, it establishes moral and social organization. From this belief, he came up with two kinds of solidarity: Mechanical and Organic. Mechanical solidarity is the where members of a community are similar and share the same beliefs. Organic solidarity is the connection of people through definite roles in society. Durkheim looked applied these concepts on a macro-level. These concepts of division of labor can be applied to slavery in America. During slavery blacks were not treated as part of society, whereas society was consisted of whites. Blacks can be looked upon as having mechanical solidarity and America (whites) as a whole as having organic solidarity.
Since the beginning of slavery of blacks in American, there has been a sense of isolation of blacks from white society. When slaves were first brought to America in the 1600’s, they were split up from their families, selling family members to different plantation owners. This sense of isolation pushed blacks together and mechanical solidarity was created. Many of the Africans brought to America were not of the same tribe but, they came together because of the feeling of likeness. They shared the same customs, values and oral traditions. As seen in the movie 12 Years a Slave, the blacks came together, not because they were friends but, because they shared the same values and traditions. The slaves sang many songs and danced because it brought them closer together. Women, men and children all had different roles in their communities. They did not know anything about America but, they knew that did not belong. Blacks were not included in any aspect of society besides working on whites plantations. They created their own communities within the communities that they lived in. It was due to the fact that they all share the same collective consciousness.
Society in America can be looked at as functioning through organic solidarity. Many of the white’s depend on the slaves to work on plantations, to pick cotton or various other tasks. Without the slaves as workers they would not be able to function and without the owners the slaves would not be able to function. They both equally needed one another to survive in society. The slave depended on the plantation owner for food, clothing and shelter. Whites needed blacks to perform various roles on the plantation: pick cotton, cook, and take care of their children and various other duties. In order for society in those times to be prosperous they needed one another to perform tasks that the other could not do. Whites or blacks did not feel personally responsible for one another. Blacks were just a small part of a bigger society. Whites and blacks were not very personal with one another, they were not friends. Whites only dealt with those that had status or important roles in their community and this is why blacks were not included in much because that did not have a status. Everything that was done was for the benefit of white people and their society. Whites and blacks had definite roles in society, blacks were the laborers and whites were the owners. This relationship can be kind of compared to a salesman and a manufacturer. A salesmen needs a manufacture to produce goods for them to sell and the manufacturer needs the salesmen to sale the goods. In organic solidarity, everyone plays a vital role in the functionality of society, without one things cannot run smoothly.
Although Durkheim’s theory on social solidarity is usually applied at a macro-level in society, it can also be seen during the time of slavery. The division of labor was needed in order for the needs of society to be fulfilled efficiently. Blacks and whites were separated into different types of solidarity (mechanical and organic). Even though, blacks did exist, they did not really exist in white America. They were just part of the big machine needed to make sure everything in America ran efficiently. It can be seen through Durkheim’s theory of division of labor that society needs social solidarity to function correctly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oFcFzJT7Tw