Georg Simmel's "The Stranger": Marginality and Objectivity

Introduction: Simmel and the Sociology of Marginality

German sociologist Georg Simmel provided many fine glimpses into his views of society, offering unique perspectives on different aspects of social life. His essay The Stranger offers a penetrating look at societal fragmentation. Simmel examines how the entrance of a stranger into a group changes its dynamics and how such change affects the group as a whole. He looks critically at the marginal personality but ultimately finds value in its existence.

Simmel himself was an outsider among other intellectuals in Germany (Spykman, 2004). As a sociologist, he directed a great deal of his academic life to the issue of marginality and to examining the lives of those outside the mainstream. He recognized that marginality was a serious social problem that needed to be addressed, but he also saw considerable value in being marginalized. Simmel's studies were based on an analysis of the relationship between the individual and society. For Simmel, modern society was both an aid and a hindrance to the development of the individual.

In many ways, Simmel believed that modern society had freed the individual from the restraints of earlier societies (Lechner, 1991). The development of urban life had allowed individuals to play a variety of roles and engage in social situations that would never have been possible before. These freedoms, however, came at a price. Modern society grants the individual freedom but can also cause one to feel alienated. Gone are the supports of communal life present in so many past societies; in their place, many lonely and isolated persons have emerged.

The Stranger as Insider and Outsider

Simmel's stranger is not simply someone passing through on the way to somewhere else. Instead, his stranger is someone who comes into the community and stays. He is not the proverbial wanderer always moving on. He is simply not a member of the group, but he brings new qualities and features that the group lacked before his arrival. The group itself has behavior that is considered normal within it, while the stranger brings behavior that is seen as deviant and negative.

In The Stranger, Simmel's stranger is a marginalized character who simultaneously exists outside and inside the community. He lives on the fringe of the group and is regarded with suspicion by its members. He remains detached from the group, but because of this detachment he is able to maintain an objectivity that he would likely lose if he were to become a full member. This detachment and objectivity make him an attractive candidate to serve as an intermediary or keeper of secrets. The stranger has developed no loyalties within the group, nor does he possess any preconceived notions regarding any of its members. As a result, his observations and opinions are considered untainted by those inside the group.

The attractiveness of a stranger rests on the group's perception that some general similarity exists between them. The stranger is a symbol of generic humanity. He is not totally ostracized because of his humanness, yet he will not be intimately accepted because he comes from outside.

The Trader Analogy and the Value of Distance

Simmel effectively uses the analogy of the trader who travels from town to town selling his wares (Wolff, 1950). Historically, such individuals were important to local economies, yet they were largely ignored by the townspeople with whom they did business. Trading was considered unpleasant and beneath the members of proper society. The trader was permitted to transact business with the townspeople and was accepted while present, but he was never allowed within the inner circle of the group.

Interestingly, in some societies this lack of connection with the inner circle made the trader an excellent candidate to sit as arbitrator or judge in local disputes (Karakayali, 2006). He knew enough about the community to serve in that role, yet because he was a stranger, he was considered impartial enough to treat rival factions fairly. He might return year after year to sell his goods, but he would always remain a stranger. A feeling of intimacy was never permitted to develop. The trader was far enough away emotionally to be considered a stranger, yet close enough to be considered part of the group. Once he grew too close — through familiarity or by moving to the town — he was no longer a stranger and lost the value that came with his objectivity. He soon became a victim of the group's biases and preconceptions.

References

Golmohamad, M. (2004). World citizenship, identity and the notion of an integrated self. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 131–148.

Karakayali, N. (2006). The uses of the stranger: Circulation, arbitration, secrecy and dirt. Sociological Theory, 312–330.

Lechner, F. J. (1991). Simmel on social space. Theory, Culture, and Society, 195–201.

Spykman, N. (2004). The social theory of Georg Simmel. Piscataway, NJ: Transaction Publishers.

Vandenberghe, F. (1999). Simmel and Weber as idealtypical founders of sociology. Philosophy & Social Criticism, 47–80.

Wolff, K. (1950). The sociology of Georg Simmel. New York: Free Press.