Federation (sociology)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In sociology, the federal government describes a form of social group as a fundamental category. Introduced by Herman Schmalenbach under the impression of the social movement of the Bundische Jugend in the 1920s, it represents a complementary form to "community" and "society" ( Ferdinand Tönnies ). Schmalenbach emphasizes friendship, spontaneity and enthusiasm for a cause as essential characteristics as well as the compulsory presence of charismatic elements in a leader.

Tönnies himself appreciated the attempt to introduce the term. But he remained of the opinion that his two terms defined the entire field of "sociology" and thus also all empirically discoverable groups.

Schmalenbach sees the federal government as an emotionally enthusiastic association. It has a different character than the "natural" community. The community is based on kinship and life together. Furthermore, the community is unconscious, it only becomes apparent to individuals when threatened. The federation, on the other hand, arises from a sudden agreement, from a renewal or from a collective enthusiasm. The community is an everyday phenomenon in the family area. The covenant is an extraordinary phenomenon and is based on friendship.

In the composition " Männerbund " the word also appears in the sociologist Richard Thurnwald and in ethnology .

literature

  • Herman Schmalenbach : The sociological category of the federal government , in: Die Dioskuren. Yearbook for the humanities , Munich 1922, pp. 35–105.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Johann Thun: "[...] in the middle between 'community' and 'society'." Schmalenbach's category of the federal government and its French reception . In: Arno Bammé, Niall Bond, Ingrid Reschenberg (ed.): Community. Career of a term between compassion, tribalism and voluntarism . Profil Verlag, Munich / Vienna 2019, ISBN 3-89019-727-2 , p. 217-241 .
  2. ↑ Based on Raymond Aron : The German Sociology of the Present. Systematic introduction to sociological thinking , 3rd edition, Stuttgart: Kröner, 1969, p. 21 f.