Aayushi BansalAIR 7 · CSE 2024 · 319 wordsTheir whole copy
Opening · a definition
Emile Durkheim as a true functionalist was concerned with the questions of social order & integration & hence gave the concept of anomie which threatened order.
Anomie is a state of normlessness. It occurs when a society is in a state of transition. Old collective conscience (morality) has died but new one hasn't emerged. This leads to lack of regulation, breeding unlimited desires. Eg → during economic boom or crisis
Body · points
Temporary gains in present context
Lack of regulations & morality breeds frauds, scams & white
Collar crimes. In Merton's words, people become innovators discarding legal means. Eg → Rajat Gupta's insider trading case; Harshad Mehta scam.
Further, political structure suffers from money & muscle based power. Parties use primordial identities for vote banks (eg caste, religion, ethnicity, language). Eg → 17th Lok Sabha has 43% MPs with a criminal background.
At micro level, individualism is at its peak. This results in delayed marriages or marital as Giddens calls it → plastic sexuality sex, marriage & parenthood are separated giving more freedom.
Even at global level, failure of multilateral regulations (eg United Nations) has given a new face to dependency theory. China's debt trap policy is a case in point.
Permanent sufferings
Close
Frauds & scams are soon caught. It decreases the collective faith of society bringing mistrust & suspicion. Eg → in Covid, banks were skeptical of lending.
Politicians who gain power using unscrupulous means soon face the crisis of legitimacy. Social movements like that in Sri Lanka recently bring them down.
Further, individualism is leading to marital breakdowns.
It becomes a stressful period with psychological & socialisation issues for children. Edmund Leach says, 'Parents fight, children rebel'.
However, the concept of anomie in present context is only partially applicable as Durkheim wrote it for 19th century France. Though Covid pandemic represents a transition phase, yet the world was able to restore the normal in a short amount of time.