Chinese Journal of Sociology

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Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism: Emile Durkheim’s Public Thoughts Dilemma

HE Jian, Department of Sociology, Southwest University   

  1. HE Jian, Department of Sociology, Southwest University
  • Online:2012-09-20 Published:2012-09-20
  • Contact: HE Jian, Department of Sociology, Southwest University E-mail:hejian1022@126.com
  • About author:HE Jian, Department of Sociology, Southwest University
  • Supported by:

    The research was supported by Education Ministry’s Humanities and Social Science Research Youth Project “Adaptation and Inclusion: The Research of Edge Communities Development Under the Background of the Integration between the Urban and Rural Areas ” ［09YJC840034］.

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Abstract:

In the early modern period, religion and nationalism provided the dominant modes of individual and collective identity. But their status as the basis for political identification and citizenship has been undermined in the globalization era. It is therefore necessary to fully understand Durkheim’s patriotism and cosmopolitanism in his social theory during the competing processes between nationalism and globalization. There are two fundamental subjects in Emile Durkheim’s social thoughts, i.e., “how society is possible” and “how sociology is possible.” These two subjects have been embodied in Durkheim’s lifelong academic pursuit, namely, “to treat the facts of moral life according to the methods of the positive science.” The issues of patriotism and cosmopolitanism arises naturally from the substantial problems such as “individuals and society,” “human nature and social conditions,” etc. A holistic approach to these issues can reveal the social fact of the sacredness of human nature in modern society around which Durkheim found out the foundation of modern social solidarity through dealing with the methodology and the essential issues. Following Durkheim’s social thoughts, it is found that the true outlet for the contradiction between patriotism and cosmopolitanism lies in the intrafocus, not expansionism. It is not entirely a problem of international laws, but is largely the problem of the corporation and the civil state. In other words, it is the problem of professional ethics and civil morals. Obviously, this theoretical tension reflects the genuine purpose of Durkheim’s sociological epistemology, and also, it is closely related to the identity problem of the modern person.

Key words:  Durkheim， , Patriotism，, Cosmopolitanism