Durkheimian Sociology Cultural Studies [Paperback]

Rejecting a structural approach, the contributors offer a radically different interpretation of Durkheim, focusing on his later work, the symbolic theory of industrial societies.Rejecting the dominant structural approach, this volume draws instead from Durkheim's later shift to a symbolic theory of modern industrial societies that emphasized the importance of ritual to collective behavior.Rejecting the dominant structural approach, this volume draws instead from Durkheim's later shift to a symbolic theory of modern industrial societies that emphasized the importance of ritual to collective behavior.The best-known classic works of Emile Durkheim are characterized by a structural approach to the understanding of society, and it is this element of his writings that has been most taken up by modern social science. This volume rejects the dominant structural approach, drawing instead on Durkheim's later work, in which he shifted to a symbolic theory of modern industrial societies that emphasized the importance of ritual to collective behavior. By doing so, the contributors offer not only a radically different interpretation of Durkheim, but also a challenging new way of linking the interpretation of culture and the interpretation of society.Acknowledgements; Introduction: Durkheimian sociology and cultural studies today Jeffrey C. Alexander; Part I. Social Change and Saralization: 1. The sacred and the French Revolution Lynn Hunt; 2. From Durkheim to Managua: revolutions as religious revivals Edward A. Tiryakian; 3. The Liminal fight: mass strikes as ritual and interpretation Eric W. Rothenbuhler; Part II. Micro and Macro in Symbolic Context: 4. Religious elements in friendship: Durkheimian theory in an empirical context Ruth A. Wallace and Shirley F. Hartley; 5. The Durkheimian tradition in conflict sociology Randall Collins; 6. Social structure and civil religion: legitimation crisis in a late Durkheimian perspective Hans-Peter M?ller; Part III. Ritualization and Publilã·