Durkheim

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Arguably sociology's first classic and one of Durkheim's major works, The Division of Labour in Society studies the nature of social solidarity, exploring the ties that bind one person to the next so as to hold society together in conditions of modernity. In this revised and updated second edition, leading Durkheim scholar Steven Lukes' new introduction builds upon Lewis Coser's original - which places the work in its intellectual and historical context and pinpoints its central ideas and arguments - by focusing on the text's significance for how we ought to think sociologically about some central problems that face us today.

For example:What does this text have to tell us about modernity and individualism? In what ways does it offer a distinctive critique of the ills of capitalism? With helpful introductions and learning features this remains an indispensable companion for students of sociology. Review: 'If one had to choose one foundational text in sociology - this has to be it.

Its critique of market society as well as its radical treatment of capitalism's diseases are even more pertinent today than they were a century ago.' Michael Burawoy, Department of Sociology, University of California, Berkeley, USA 'The Division of Labour in Society is Durkheim's foundational work and Steven Lukes' new, expanded edition - with an improved translation and a lucid, up-to-date introduction - has made it more accessible and more relevant than ever. ' David Garland, New York University, USA 'Durkheim's highly original treatment of an already classical subject made the division of labour as basic a question for sociology as for economics.

It took over and transformed the great modern issues of social change and order, individualism and solidarity. The issues remain both contentious and deeply significant, and Durkheim's first major book continues to inform the best debates. Steven Lukes situates Durkheim well in both his historical and his theoretical context, and clarifies the enduring contributions of this book, as well as the places where it contrasts with current thought.' Craig Calhoun, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK 'How can society cohere in the face of escalating economic disparities, the proliferation of conflicting cultural standards, and runaway individualism?

How can persons carve an institutional trajectory and find existential fullfilment when the frameworks of collective life seem to come continually unglued? What are the determinants and viable forms of social solidarity? There are no more urgent sociopolitical questions today around the globe. And no book offers more tools and insights to articulate, and perhaps resolve, them than Durkheim's foundational treatment of The Division of Labour in Society.

Some 120 years after its writing, it is not only a text for the ages: it is a text for our age.' Loic Wacquant, University of California, Berkeley, USA, and Centre de sociologie europeenne, Paris, France