Perspectives about politics in Émile Durkheim’s theory

Abstract

This paper has as its general theme the political dimension in Émile Durkheim’s work. More specifically, the discussion here developed follows three different but complementary paths. The first of them consists in the presentation of the outcomes of an analytical review of the literature concerned with the issue of the existence – or not – of an implicit political theory in Durkheim’s work. In this sense, it intends to show how divergent are the interpretations, so as to suggest that the field remains open to new investigations. The second path relates to the reconstruction of the main elements of what can be understood as the nucleus of the Durkheimian political theory, which is centered on the role of the state and its relation to the individual and the intermediary groups. Finally, the third and certainly more mod-est path concerns an exercise of reflection on how Durkheim’s political thought could be framed within the general scenario of contemporary political theory, pointing to the original perspectives that could result from a reconstruction/actualization of his writings on politics.