I named my society Annville after my granny, who passed in 2014. I was raised in GA, the US, in a small town called Rome. Annville is located off the coast of GA, which defines a number of societal peculiarities of its members. It seems reasonable to claim that people here are quite calm, express respect to each other, and are ready to productively interact and cooperate. Such a state of affairs is – to a considerable extent – due to the geographical location of this community. The presence of the view of pacifying and majestic waters of the Atlantic Ocean implies poise of the members.
The perspective from which I would consider Annville is Durkheim’s one. He perceived society as a living organism in which all the organs – the members of this society – are essential and play important roles (Bowring, 2016). Given the fact that Annville’s people are friendly and intelligent, they have achieved a great degree of tolerance towards each other. It means that individuals from different cultures can find their place here and become an important part of this organism. The mentioned factors – and tolerance as the crucial one – contribute to cultural diversity in Annville, as everyone is treated, accepted, and respected equally.
Durkheim’s understanding of society may serve as a foundation for discussing how cultural changes are implemented and why. According to his theory, deviant members are no less important than others in this organism, as punishments for inappropriate deviance confirm settled cultural values and principles (Bowring, 2016). Given that in Annville, all the members can be heard and feel free to express their positions, societal changes take place when these positions are rational, useful, convincing, and challenge the current social norms and rules. In such a case, these norms are being developed or canceled.
Reference
Bowring, F. (2016). The individual and society in Durkheim: Unpicking the contradictions. European Journal of Social Theory, 19(1), 21–38.