The Sociological Domain

Book excerpt: Emile Durkheim, one of the founding fathers of sociology, has been the subject of many studies. But this book is the first to introduce the individual and collective work of his colleagues and disciples who formed with him the 'French school of sociology'. Such an association of talented scholars was a unique event in the history of sociology and a decisive landmark in the development of the discipline. In this book, examination of the texts of the Durkheimians is combined with analysis of the social and intellectual group attempted to create a new social science. In this respect, the present book is also instructive about the birth and institutionalisation of academic disciplines in general. But studying the work of the Durkheimians goes beyond historical research; the Durkeimians can still offer lessons in the exploration of the territory of sociology, an area in which so much virgin land remains unmapped.