Stranger -Simmel And Schutz

12 Pages 2913 Words

mmel’s essay is one who is both attached and detached from the group structure in which he lives. Simmel believes that the physical separation of the stranger from the rest of society produces a certain type of relationship among men that also serves as a symbol of the relationship. Instead of considering a stranger as a wanderer who “comes today and goes tomorrow,”# he is one who does not literally move about quite so freely, but nevertheless “has not quite got over the freedom of coming and going.” He is a part of the group because he lives among its members, but does not really belong to it in the sense of sharing universal qualities as the others do. Simmel states, “the state of being a stranger is of course a completely positive relation; it is a specific form of interaction (117).” The stranger faces the group on a regular basis without becoming integrated within it.
He further describes the stranger as an integral part of the economic sphere. A trader is a stranger because his services are only required for goods produced outside the group. Because he does not own land and trade is often regulated and restricted, the stranger attains mobility. In this manner, he is free to come into contact with every element in the group without concrete obligation. This mobility and lack of formalized ties to the group allow the stranger to be objective. Simmel does not believe this is a direct result of the stranger’s detachment, rather that the objectivity is a “distinct structure composed of remoteness and nearness, indifference and involvement (118).” This idea of the simultaneous ‘remoteness and nearness’ which appears quite often throughout the essay seems paradoxical, yet it appropriately explains the unique position of the stranger in society. Simmel mentions that as a result of this objectivity, people are likely to confide in him things they would not tell people with whom they are close. However...