The category of social time in the works of classics of sociology

Presentation prepared by Kalaydzhyan A. A.

Introduction• People as subjects of

historical process moved history in different directions

• Social time – a special kind of time connected with human activity

Introduction• Interest to social time

from the side of philosophers, historians, sociologists

• For the first time a category of social time was introduced by sociologists P.A. Sorokin and R. Merton

Ideas of E. Durkheim• Rhythmical nature of

social life • Collective time as a

sum of temporal procedures which create cultural rhythm of society

Ideas of E. Durkheim• Certain moments as

reflections of different periods

• Past time is a causative power which place social facts in conditions of present time – in order to make future time

Ideas of G. Simmel• Attention to conflicts

as important part of social life

• Subjects create objects, and objects influence on the subjects

• Never-ending opposition of people and social forms

Ideas of G. Simmel• Human behaviour

sets certain borders and has aspiration to destroy it at the same time

• Paradox: time exists and can’t exist at the same time

Ideas of P.A. Sorokin and R. Merton

Ideas of P.A. Sorokin and R. Merton

• Sameliness and homogeneity of astronomical time

• Particular periods of social time acquire special meaning in connection with different actions and conducts

• Special features of temporal intervals are connected with beliefs and customs of the group which we examine

Conclusions• People live among

different time systems • Astronomical time helps

people to determine proportions between day and night, between different seasons

• Social time reflects human activity, the process of society construction by people

References• Sorokin P.A., Merton R.K. Sotsialnoye vremya: opyt

metodologicheskogo i funktsionalnogo analiza // Sotsiologicheskiye issledovaniya. 2004. №6. S. 112-119. 

• Yakovlev V.P. Sotsialnoye vremya. Izdatelstvo Rostovskogo universiteta, 1980. 160 s.

• Katovich M. Durkheim's macrofoundations of time:An assessment and critique // Sociological Quarterly. 1987. Vol.28, №3. P. 367-385.

• Molseed M.J. The problem of temporality in thework of Georg Simmel // Sociological Quarterly.1987. Vol.28, №3. P. 357-366.