Studien undersöker sociologins forskning och metodregler i Émile Durkheims Les Règles dela méthode sociologique (1894) ur ett idéhistoriskt perspektiv. Målet med metodiken var att vetenskapligt kunna använda objektiva fenomen som relaterade till samhällets sociala strukturer och därigenom kunna erhålla sociala fakta och redovisa statistiska beräkningar ochlogisk-analytiska slutsatser. Metodreglerna utvecklades från samhällsvetenskapens ideologiska kunskapsteori till en rationell, empirisk vetenskap. Sociala fakta var grundvalen i metodreglerna och fungerade som ett index för lagbunden normalitet. Durkheim hävdade att sociala fakta i forskningen skulle behandlas som om de vore objektiva ting för att därmed lättare kunna bortse från sinnevärlden och underlätta forskningen. Under 1800-talet hade flera samhällsteoretiker haft idéer om att samhällets innehåll borde undersökas, men man hade inte haft några utvecklade metoder för att kunna praktisera det. Den snabba samhällsförändringen var en faktor som befäste moderniteten i samhället och påverkade samhällsstrukturen samtidigt som en ny uppfattning växte fram som prioriterade naturvetenskapliga metoder och teknik. Durkheim var den som först utvecklade en sociologisk rationell empirisk vetenskap och en metodologi. Genom systematiska metodregler skulle det vetenskapliga forskningsarbetet kunna genomföra observationer, identifiera och kategorisera sociala fenomen och därigenom kunna få större kunskap om de strukturella förhållandena och det sociala livet i samhället. Durkheim utmanade det vetenskapliga fältet med metodiken och etablerade så småningom också utrymme för både sig själv och sociologin inom den samhällsvetenskapliga kunskapsteorin och inom det franska undervisningsväsendet.

Självmord är ett fenomen som funnits så länge vi kan minnas. Självmord och sekularism är ett någorlunda nyare fenomen men diskuterades först av sociologen Emilé Durkheim i hans verk Självmordet (1897/1983). Syftet med denna rapport är att undersöka just sambandet mellan sekularism och självmord, men även andra faktorer som kan spela in på självmordsfrekvensen i dagens moderna samhälle, baserat på de faktorer Durkheim påvisat i sitt verk. Frågeställningarna som rapporten grundas på är 1) Finns det ett klart samband mellan den sekulära befolkningen i ett land och högre självmordsfrekvens inom ny forskning? Och 2) Vilka faktorer, åsido sekularism, spelar in på självmordsfrekvensen i sekulära länder enligt ny forskning? Metoden som används är en kvalitativ innehållsanalys där specifika termer och ord söktes upp i ny forskning. Dessa termer är baserade på de orsaksfaktorer som Durkheim nämnt i sitt verk. Resultaten presenterades genom ett kodschema och visade bland annat att det finns ett samband mellan sekularism och högre självmord, som Durkheim påstått. Det verkar främst vara den religiösa gemenskapen som fungerar som ett skyddsnät för individen och desto mer religiös en gemenskap är desto lägre självmordsfrekvens verkar framkomma. Faktorer, åsido sekularism,  som påvisade högst självmordsfrekvens var bland annat kön (män) , ålder (50+) och socioekonomiska faktorer (specifikt arbetslöshet). / Suicide is a phenomenon that has been around for as long as we can remember. Suicide and secularism are a somewhat newer phenomena but were first discussed by the sociologist Emilé Durkheim in his book Suicide (1897/1983). The purpose of this report is to examine the connection between secularism and suicide, but also other factors that may affect the suicide rate in today's modern society, based on the factors Durkheim previously identified in his book. The questions at issue on which the report is based on are 1) Is there a clear link between the secular population in a country and higher suicide rates shown in new research? And 2) According to new research, what factors, apart from secularism, affect the suicide rate in secular countries? The method used is a qualitative content analysis where specific terms and words were sought in new research. These terms are based on the factors of cause which Durkheim previously mentioned in his book. The results were presented through a ‘code scheme’ and showcased that there is a connection between secularism and higher suicide rates, as Durkheim claimed. It seems to be primarily the religious community that acts as a safety net for the individual and the more religious a community is, the lower the suicide rate appears. Factors, apart from secularism, which were linked to higher suicide rates included gender (male), age (50+) and socio-economic factors (specifically unemployment).

In this diploma thesis Suicide yesterday and today I focus on the topis of suicide in the point of view of social studies. The thesis is divided into two parts. In the first part, I analyze three theoretical works dealing with suicide and suicide, namely the works of Emil Durkheim, Tomas Garrigue Masaryk and the collective works of Luděk Brož, Daniel Münster and other theorists. In the first part, I conclude that in the theoretical field there is no consensus on the interpretation of the causes of suicide. In the second part of my work I compare this three theoretical works and I also present the conclusions of the theoretical probe, which I developed in this work. This part is divided into thematic chapters according to possible causes of suicide, which I came to mainly based on the theoretical part. In the second part, I try to connect and compare scientific-theoretical views on suicide and unscientific views. The aim of the theoretical probe was not to find answers to questions related to the issue of suicide, its aim was to bring new perspectives to the discussion concerning suicide. Key words Suicide, suicidologie, Masaryk, Brož, Durkheim, suicide reasons

The aim of this study is to contribute to the research about the role of rituals in the construction of social identity of women in Newar society. By studying the Kumari tradition, I explore how religious traditions play a role in maintaining social values and gender roles. Following this, I analyze how this role contributes to the continuation of the practice in the face of calls for its abolition in recent years. Of central importance is the controversy surrounding the Kumari tradition fueled by criticism from the UN and western media alleging that the religious practice of Kumari worship is a violation of children’s rights. This study also discusses changes in the Kumari tradition between 1996-2008, resulting in greater acknowledgement of the child’s social needs, both during and after her rule. The issue of the ‘anomalous’ position of former Kumari and how Nepalese society attempts to deal with it is also brought to light.

Den 7 april 2017 kapades en lastbil och kördes i hög hastighet längs Drottninggatan som sedan kraschade in i Åhléns. Fem personer omkom och dussintals skadades till följd av händelsen, som förklarades vara ett terrordåd. Studien syftar till att undersöka de svenska reaktionerna på terrordådet, med fokus på känslor och värderingar mot bakgrund av Durkheims teori om det kollektiva medvetandet. Detta görs genom tematisk analys med socialkonstruktivistisk vetenskapsteoretisk utgångspunkt. Den tematiska analysen utgörs av 2 huvudteman, känslor och värderingar med fem, respektive fyra underteman. 84 artiklar från Dagens Nyheter och Svenska Dagbladet analyseras och innehållet kodas enligt framework-modellen. Resultatet visar att känslor och värderingar uttrycks på olika sätt, övergripande ses manifestationen dagen efter dådet som en stark symbol för uttrycket av det kollektiva medvetandet, där motstånd, engagemang, känslor och värderingar uttrycks. Stadsrepresentanter, såsom Kungen och Statsministern, blir ytterligare symboler för det kollektiva medvetandet och dess reaktioner, både gällande uttrycken för känslor och värderingar. Det kollektiva medvetandet kom till uttryck i, samt förstärkts och återuppbyggs efter den attack som skett. Studien visar att känslor agerar som ett lim för att hålla samhället intakt. Medan värderingarna, som ligger till grund för känslorna lyfter samhället och bidrar till moralförhöjande handlingar efter dådet.

Since Emile Durkheims work “Le suicide” (1897) there has been a long tradition of trying to find the most fitting relationship between suicide and economy. One case which has been omitted is Sweden during the interwar period, 1919-1938. The interwar period in Sweden makes for an interesting case study due to several reasons. Sweden is experiencing rapid growth and urbanization but is also enduring two of its deepest recessions at the same time. The following essay aims to examine specifically this case with the use of three different theories on how the economy affects the suicide rate. The main method used is a multiple regression with descriptive data as a complement. The results of the essay show that the most probable relationship for this period is that of a countercyclical one. Although the results show there is a slight tendency for procyclical relationships as well. Therefore, a non-linear relationship might not be out of the question. To give a more definitive answer, one would most likely have to examine longer timeseries in the future.

This paper calls for a broad conception of sacrifice to be developed as a resource for cultural sociology. It argues the term was framed too narrowly in the classical work of Hubert and Mauss. The later approach of Bataille permits a maximal understanding of sacrifice as non-utilitarian expenditures of money, energy, passion and effort directed towards the experience of transcendence. From this perspective, pilgrimage can be understood as a specific modality of sacrificial activity. This paper applies this understanding of sacrifice and pilgrimage to the annual Bayreuth “Wagner” Festival in Germany. Drawing on a multi-year mixed-methods study involving ethnography, semi-structured interviews and historical research, the article traces sacrificial expenditures at the level of individual festival attendees. These include financial costs, arduous travel, dedicated research of the artworks, and disciplines of the body. Some are lucky enough to experience transcendence in the form of deep emotional experience, and a sense of contact with sacred spaces and forces. Our study is intended as an exemplary paradigm case that can be drawn upon analogically by scholars. We suggest that other aspects of social experience, including many that are more ‘everyday’, can be understood through a maximal model of sacrifice and that a rigorous, wider comparative sociology could be developed using this tool.

<p>This thesis is both an extension and a critique of Roy Hornosty's doctoral dissertation. In " Conceptions of Human Nature in the Sociological Tradition", Hornosty traces the development and career of two distinct concepts of human nature as they are reflected in sociological theory. Hornosty argues that sociology originally emerged with two competing ideas of man, one stressing the logical priority of the individual, and the other, the predominance of the collective.</p> <p>In the course of his study, Hornosty discusses what he refers to as the second generation of European sociologists, comprised suggests of Durkheim, Weber, Simmel that each theorist of this and Pareto. Hornosty generation describes a conception of human nature based on an 'inner dialectic' between the individual, who seeks independent self-actualization, over and against the demands of the collective, which develops according to laws which are often in stark contrast to the dictates of individuality.</p> <p>One chapter of Hornosty's study is devoted to Georg Simmel's sociological thought. In it, Hornosty argues that Simmel views man in terms of an antinomy between social and individual forces, locked in an irreconcilable struggle. For Simmel, Hornosty believes, man is both social and, at the same time, independent of society, although never completely. According to Hornosty's interpretation of Simmel, this dialectic is an ineradicable condition of mankind.</p> <p>The present study focuses entirely on the writings of Georg Simmel. The author argues that while an undeniable dialectic exists between the individual and society, it is by no means irreconcilable as Hornosty and others have suggested. In fact, it will be argued that Simmel saw ways in which the dichotomous relationship between the individual and the collective could be overcome.</p> <p>The author contends that Simmel, influenced by Nietzsche's philosophy, details avenues of consequence removed from the sociological nexus. By focusing on Simmel 's four categories of human experience, two of which are completely removed from the social paradigm, this thesis outlines Simmel's attempt to find a manner in which certain talented individuals could transcend the dichotomy between the individual and society through devotion to objective goals which lie beyond the dialectic.</p> <p>The author suggests that Simmel in fact reserves his highest praise for the creative genius, the individual able to tolerate, and in turn, transcend the tensions of his or her existence in the name of a higher good, whether artistic or intellectual. By outlining Simmel's preoccupation with the creative process, and his search for viable expressions of individuality removed from society, the author attempts to illustrate the limitations of the sociological paradigm.</p> / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

In his dissertation, Van Hulzen argues that solidarity should, first and foremost, be understood as a question of how social cohesion, in one form or another, is possible under the conditions of modernity. Theories of solidarity often try to answer this question by either arguing for solidarity based on what people share in common, or for solidarity that relies on what distinguishes them from one another. Contrary to these positions, Van Hulzen argues that the distinction between both types of solidarity is tied to the dualistic nature of liberal individualism, and that the ideal of solidarity originally developed as an ideal aimed at overcoming this problematic aspect of liberal individualism. This argument is developed through a close reading and contextualization of the work of Emile Durkheim, which plays a central role in the evolution of the ideal of solidarity. Through an original interpretation of Durkheim’s work, van Hulzen demonstrates that Durkheim’s theory of solidarity, contrary to common claims, already moves beyond the dichotomy present in many contemporary debates on solidarity. However, in a critique of Durkheim’s understanding of the relationship between solidarity and individualism, the ideal of solidarity is pursued beyond Durkheim’s theoretical framework in the second half of the dissertation. A deeper analysis of the problem, and a first step toward understanding solidarity as a process of social transformation, is offered through a new interpretation of Marcel Mauss’s theory of gift exchange. These insights are further explored in the final chapter, which considers various theories of play as models for a concept of transformative solidarity.:Introduction 1 I. Solidarity as the Question of Modernity 17 1. Solidarity and Political Economy in Early Nineteenth Century France 19 2. Solidarity and Civil Religion in Early Nineteenth Century France 26 3. Durkheim on Mechanical Solidarity 36 4. The Ideal of Organic Solidarity Reconsidered 43 5. Mechanical or Organic Solidarity? 52 6. Organic Solidarity in the Theories of Rahel Jaeggi and Axel Honneth 61 Conclusion 71 II. The Cult of the Individual 74 1. The Dreyfus Affair 76 2. The Origins of Excessive Individualism 82 3. The Sacred-Profane Distinction Reconsidered 95 4. The Cult of the Individual 107 5. The Sacred Rights of Man 114 6. Marx on the Jewish Question 126 Conclusion 134 III. Gift Exchange Beyond Sacred and Profane 138 1. Mauss on Bolshevism 140 2. The Noncontractual Element in Exchange 145 3. The Gift in Durkheim’s Shadow 149 4. The Force in the Thing 158 5. Mana 161 6. Layers of Exchange 167 7. The End of the Spirit of the Gift 177 8. Mana and the Sacred 185 9. Sacrifice and the Separation of Sacred and Profane 188 10. From Sacrifice to the Ideology of the Pure Gift 195 Conclusion 201 IV. The Transformative Power of Play 205 1. Play as Schiller’s Answer to the Question of Modernity 206 2. Gadamer on Transformation Through Play 216 3. Huizinga on Play as Sacralization 225 4. Agamben on Play as Profanation 237 Conclusion 246 Conclusion 251 Bibliography 262

Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Philosophy)