The Stranger is an essay written by Georg Simmel in 1908 in which the author explores the sociological meaning behind the term and the concept of the stranger. In his explorations, the author studies the concept through different lenses of philosophy, economy, and through his relations and position in the group. The author also reviews the historical roots and perceptions of the term and defines the initial meaning behind the term.
Summing the key ideas introduced in the essay, the author makes two significant statements that determine the importance of the essay for sociological purposes. First, the author points to the nuance of the stranger existing both in between the concepts of nearness and remoteness and in their unity. The author perceives the important detail of remoteness and nearness as a phenomenon. The article describes how the stranger is different from an outsider because the term stranger implies his connection to the group of people, which is different from an outsider who is not familiar with the group. According to Simmel, because strangers exist both within and outside of the group, it gives them a sense of objectivity, making the strangers good judges. To prove his point, the author recalls cases from Italian cities, where judging required involvement from outside judges, as they were not connected to the families and therefore were able to make objective decisions.
The second significant idea proposed by Simmel in his essay is that the concept of a stranger could be applied not only to individuals but also could mean a particular type of relations. The idea follows the point of strangeness, meaning non-relation between two groups. Drawing an example of Greeks and Barbarians, the author explains that strangeness does not mean being a member of a group in some cases. The article states that between the concepts of nearness and distance, there is an element of consciousness that stresses common parts and marks non-common elements as strange in their origins. In this case, the author explains that strangers are conceived as a type rather than individuals.
The ideas proposed by Simmel provide an explanation for the term ‘stranger’ with intelligible examples that ease the cognitive process. The article clearly defines the phenomenon of the initial concept of a stranger and separates it from its current meaning that relates more to the concept of strangeness that originated from the idea of a stranger. Applying the ideas to historical mentions of strangers helps differentiate the current meaning from the initial term and provides contexts to the positive character of relations people had with strangers.
In my opinion, the essay has significant value for sociological purposes as it provides a valuable insight into the influence that social position could have on an individual’s perception. As strangers were less connected to the groups but still carried enough knowledge about the people from the group, their judgments were more objective, which means that objectivism lies in between remoteness and nearness. The essay emphasizes the unique character of strangers’ relations with the groups and the phenomenal unity of nearness and remoteness that the term implies. Both significant points made by the author are vital to sociology science, as they touch on essential relations of objectivism and society. The essay also provides vital information about the source of strangeness in the consciousness, which explains the current neutral character of the term.