Analyzing global social disorder: On relevance of classical theories of anomie and alienation

The proposed paper reanalyzes the problem of social disorder which has become a crucial issue in the global context. With the “occupy Wall Street” demonstrations some groups within the society have been struggling against the commonly apprehended goals of the existing culture, dominant in the society, which R. Merton viewed as a culture of success where money have become a commonly apprehended value, an aim or a means of prestige gaining.

Still the classical terms of sociology seem to have become irrelevant in describing this new reality. For example, is the rebellion against the culture in terms of Merton to be seen as a deviant or anomic behavior where intervention of the institute of normalization is needed? Are such demonstrations to be viewed as a sign of system crisis or are they to be viewed as certain permanent fluctuations?

The aim of the paper is to examine one of the classical concepts of social disorder, anomie and alienation.  It is proposed to take certain cases of social disorder worldwide that will on the one hand meet the classical theoretical assumptions (as, for example the world economic crisis in the relation to the concept of anomie of E. Durkheim) and on the other hand will characterize the contemporary society (as the occupy Wall Street demonstrations). Thus such cases will enable the researcher to conclude whether the concept is still relevant in describing the contemporary social reality.