After Watching The Film The Devils Playground Consider The R

After Watching The Film The Devils Playground Consider The Reading

After watching the film "The Devil's Playground," consider the readings from the last two weeks. Did anything you see represent ideas of Durkheim? How so? Consider answering the following questions: In this case, how does religion influence moral behavior in society? What would you say the manifest and latent functions of rumspringa are?

Think back to the writings of Garfinkle. What ideas are communicated indirectly with this tradition? How is reality constructed among the Amish? Can you identify nonhuman actors in this film? What are they and how do they mix with the Amish?

Paper For Above instruction

The film "The Devil's Playground" offers a compelling portrayal of Amish adolescence, especially through the tradition of Rumspringa, providing a rich context to analyze sociological concepts introduced by Émile Durkheim and Harold Garfinkel. Durkheim's theories on the social functions of religion are vividly illustrated in the Amish community's practices, particularly in how religion reinforces moral behavior and social cohesion. Meanwhile, Garfinkel's ethnomethodological perspectives illuminate how the Amish construct their social reality and maintain societal order through daily practices and traditions.

Durkheim emphasized that religion functions as a moral community, fostering collective consciousness and shared values that uphold social order. In "The Devil's Playground," religion manifests as a central pillar of Amish life, guiding moral decisions and societal norms. The community’s strict separation from worldly influences, such as modern technology and secular education, underscores religion's role in defining moral boundaries. Rumspringa, the period of adolescence where Amish youth explore the outside world before making a lifelong commitment to the church, functions to reinforce social cohesion by reaffirming community boundaries and collective identity. It also serves a latent function by ensuring the continuity of Amish culture and religious practices through social reproduction.

Garfinkel's ethnomethodology posits that social order is maintained through shared, everyday practices that individuals produce and reproduce collectively. In the context of the Amish, these practices include the traditional dress, language, and rituals that reinforce community boundaries and social roles. Rumspringa communicates indirectly the values of obedience and conformity by contrasting the outside world with Amish life, highlighting the importance of tradition and shared understanding. The tradition constructs reality among the Amish as a community governed by divine authority and collective norms, where individual explorations are framed within the larger moral order reinforced by community elders and religious leaders.

The film also demonstrates the role of nonhuman actors, which, in this context, include the Amish horses, Bibles, and community settings such as churches and farms. These objects are integral to Amish life, embodying their connection to nature, spirituality, and tradition. The horses, for example, are not merely transportation means but symbols of simplicity and humility, contrasting with modern mechanization. These nonhuman actors are intertwined with Amish social life and symbolize the community's resistance to technological change, affirming their cultural identity and religious commitments.

Furthermore, the film depicts how nonhuman actors influence social interactions—Bibles guide moral discussions, and community spaces serve as stages for social reinforcement. The integration of nonhuman elements into daily life accentuates the Amish's worldview, where human actions are mediated by these objects that carry spiritual and cultural significance. This interplay constructs a reality where human and nonhuman actors collaboratively sustain social order and religious faith.

In conclusion, "The Devil's Playground" exemplifies many sociological concepts. Durkheim's ideas about the social functions of religion are evident in how Amish practices foster community cohesion and moral order. Garfinkel's insights on the construction of social reality are reflected in how traditions like Rumspringa reinforce cultural norms. The nonhuman actors—horses, Bibles, settings—play vital roles in maintaining the community's moral and spiritual fabric. Through this film, we see how tradition, objects, and social practices coalesce to produce a cohesive social reality rooted in faith and shared values.

References

• Durkheim, Émile. (1912). The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. Oxford University Press.
• Garfinkel, Harold. (1967). Studies in Ethnomethodology. Prentice-Hall.
• Benedict, Ruth. (1934). Patterns of Culture. Houghton Mifflin.
• Bell, Catherine. (1997). Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice. Oxford University Press.
• Goffman, Erving. (1967). Interaction Rituals: Essays in Face-to-Face Behavior. Anchor Books.
• Hammersley, Martyn, & Atkinson, Paul. (2007). Ethnography: Principles in Practice. Routledge.
• Mauss, Marcel. (1904). The Gift: Forms and Functions of Exchange in Archaic Societies. Routledge.
• Turner, Victor. (1969). The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure. Cornell University Press.
• Weber, Max. (1922). The Sociology of Religion. Beacon Press.
• Latour, Bruno. (2005). Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network Theory. Oxford University Press.