Marx Vs Durkheim

It is interesting when comparing Durkheim and Marx on their ideas about division of labour. On one hand it appears that they are both portraying a similar feature of modernity. But on the other, it also appears that what each thinker claims contradict in the idea of how modernity can exploit social orders. In Durkheim’s sense, in a modern society, complementarities and specialization of work is what lead people to become interdependent to one another. However, according to Marx, division of labour is what creates people to become alienated either from the labour activity, product of labour, human essence or from other workers in the work place. It is this contrast that questions Durkheim’s view on modernity and division of labour because his view tend to avoid the consequences of social stratification.
Marx felt that stratification did not exist for any useful social function. In his ideas, stratification was meant to only preserve and enhance the interest of the wealthy, rich, and powerful dominant class at the cost of other classes, namely the lower class. Durkheim however argued that the purpose social institutions serve is to …show more content…
He does not limit his projection on only societal wellness and balance, but he sees how powerful people exploit weaker and poorer individuals. To fully understand Marx’s view on division of labour, it is reasonable to look back at the American history on slavery when Black people were used by White dominants like objects for hard dirty work that the rich did not want to get their hands on. But for the purpose of this paper, if we were to apply Durkheim’s idea on this same example, slavery would be said to be an acceptable and a necessary function because it allows everyone in the society to contribute for solidarity. If then, this was true, Black Americans should still be in possession by White