This site was created originally as a side project for my SOC 434 Social Theory class with my main purpose being to create a good, readable Durkheim source for sociology undergraduates and anyone interested in social theory. But in time, this archive became somewhat of an obsession as I discovered more and more about Durkheim and his ideas. Durkheim's work is amazing in its depth and character, but, despite its age, it remains amazingly readable, unlike so much of our contemporary academic writing.
In my studies, I have come to see that Durkheim is often misrepresented and misinterpreted. The current interpretation of his work maintains that Durkheim, while accurate in many of his structural and functional analyses of society, was either unconcerned or simply naive of the antagonisms and conflict in the very society that he was analyzing. He was apolitical, according to many, and overall a social conservative as he emphasized the roles of religion and tradition in the social sphere. But these interpretations are often based on only a limited study of Durkheim. While his major works, The Division of Labor in Society, The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, and Suicide -- with the possible exception of the last -- were little concerned with the current issues and conflicts present in Durkheim's day, they are largely the exception. These works did indeed spend little time on political or economic issues of the period, but his later work, especially Socialism, Professional Ethics and Civic Morals, and his essay "The Evolution of Educational Thought," address at length Durkheim's sociological perspectives toward the role of education in social change, the class conflicts brought about by industrialization and capitalism, as well as his overall progressive stance toward the obligations of social institutions and economic institutions. Far from naive, Durkheim understood that he must first be concerned with establishing sociology as a genuine science worthy of academia, and for much of his career his political stances had to be surpressed as he concentrated on identifying social structure and developing sociological methodology.
While I would not consider myself a Durkheimian, I have developed a serious respect for the man and his ideas. I will always consider Durkheim and his functional perspective as part of my personal sociological perspective. In fact, much of Durkheim's work adds considerable weight to the work of other prominent social thinkers, namely Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Robert Merton. To study sociology and social thought without studying Emile Durkheim is to miss an essential part of the entire sociological paradigm alive today.
Special thanks to Dr. Frank Elwell, professor of sociology and formerly chairman of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work at Murray State University for the initial inspiration to construct this site (and the bonus points). Dr. Elwell is currently Rogers State University (OK) Dean of Liberal Arts, as well as a member of the the school's Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
The Emile Durkheim Archive was created in 1999, with version 2 appearing in the fall of 2003. Please remember that all text not in quotations or otherwise noted is the original work of L. Joe Dunman, and should be cited appropriately.
