Marcel Fournier – författare

How are boundaries created between groups in society? And what do these boundaries have to do with social inequality? In this pioneering collection of original essays, a group of leading scholars helps set the agenda for the sociology of culture by exploring the factors that push us to segregate and integrate and the institutional arrangements that shape classification systems. Each examines the power of culture to shape our everyday lives as clearly as does economics, and studies the dimensions along which boundaries are frequently drawn. The essays cover four topic areas: the institutionalization of cultural categories, from morality to popular culture; the exclusionary effects of high culture, from musical tastes to the role of art museums; the role of ethnicity and gender in shaping symbolic boundaries; and the role of democracy in creating inclusion and exclusion. The contributors are Jeffrey Alexander, Nicola Beisel, Randall Collins, Diana Crane, Paul DiMaggio, Cynthia Fuchs Epstein, Joseph Gusfield, John R. Hall, David Halle, Richard A. Peterson, Albert Simkus, Alan Wolfe, and Vera Zolberg.

This book is the first intellectual biography of Marcel Mauss (1872-1950), the father of modern ethnology and a leading early figure in the French school of sociology. Mauss left a rich intellectual legacy in the social sciences, influencing the work of Claude Levi-Strauss and others. His masterpiece, the 1925 essay The Gift, on reciprocity and gift economies among archaic societies, remains required reading in anthropology, and his work more broadly resonates today with students and scholars in fields from the history of religion to sociology. Mauss taught the first generation of French field researchers in anthropology and helped secure the legacy of his uncle, emile Durkheim, the founder of modern sociology. In Marcel Mauss: A Biography, Marcel Fournier situates Mauss's ideas in their biographical context, focusing not only on the details of Mauss's life but also on the people and the academic milieus with which he was associated in early twentieth-century France. He shows how Mauss--through his writings, teaching, and socialist politics--found himself at the center of the intellectual and political life of his country and of Europe through two world wars.The book addresses, among other topics, the effect of the Dreyfus Affair and the First World War on Mauss's thought, and the inner dynamics of the group of scholars around Mauss and Durkheim at the journal they helped establish, Annee Sociologique. The fruit of vast research, Marcel Mauss: A Biography is the life story both of a legendary scholar and of the institutionalization of sociology and anthropology.

This book will become the standard work on the life and thought of Émile Durkheim, one of the great founding fathers of sociology. Durkheim remains one of the most widely read thinkers in the social sciences and every student of sociology, anthropology and related subjects must study his now-classic books. He brought about a revolution in the social sciences: the defence of the autonomy of sociology as a science, the systematic elaboration of rules and methods for studying the social, the condemnation of racial theories, the critique of Eurocentrism and the rehabilitation of the humanity of 'the primitive'. He defended the dignity of the individual, the freedom of the press, democratic institutions and the essential liberal values of tolerance and pluralism. At the same time he was critical of laisser-faire economics and he defended the values of solidarity and community life. In many ways, Durkheim's rich intellectual heritage has become part of the self-understanding of our time.Despite his enormous influence, the last major biography of Durkheim appeared more than 30 years ago. Since then, the opening up of archives and the discovery of manuscripts, correspondence with friends and close collaborators, administrative reports and notes taken by students have all provided a wealth of new material about his life and work. Meticulously documented, Marcel Fournier’s new biography sheds fresh light on Durkheim’s personality and character, his relationship with Judaism, his family life, his relations with friends and collaborators, his political and administrative responsibilities and his political views.This book will be indispensable to students and scholars throughout the social sciences and will appeal to a wide readership interested in knowing more about the life and work of one of the most original and influential thinkers of the twentieth century.

'The book is a theoretically rich and sophisticated contribution to the development of knowledge society studies and to the analysis of the many puzzles of intellectual innovation. It will surely become a sourcebook for anyone interested in creativity and knowledge production' - Karin Knorr Cetina, University of Chicago and University of Konstanz

'Gathers together some of the most interesting social-scientific thinking currently underway in Europe and North America… presents sociology in its most engaging and contemporary form' - Canadian Journal of Sociology

Knowledge, communication and creativity are obsessions of contemporary modern societies. The rhetoric of information, imagination, improvisation and play have invaded our daily lives and work spaces. However, little attention has been paid to the sociological relationships among these elements, let alone their impacts as processes driving social change. This book offers penetrating explorations into the creative processes that are tied to knowledge production, shedding new light on:

"the impact of a general increase in knowledge on individuals, lifestyles, institutions and technologies;

"how new communication and information technologies are transforming social relationships, communities and the international public sphere; and

"understanding the ties between creativity, communication and the production of knowledge.

This fascinating book explores the life and work of Émile Durkheim, presenting new and exciting interpretations of his foundational sociological ideas. By tracing the evolution of his thought and its impact on key areas of inquiry, the book demonstrates Durkheim’s continuing significance in contemporary social science. Leading scholars recontextualise Durkheim’s ideas, placing him in dialogue with other core figures in the social sciences from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Each chapter covers a different topic, and together they address issues in sociology, politics, philosophy, phenomenology, hermeneutics, criminology, nationalism, religious studies, ethics, suicide, gender, anthropology, and post-colonialism. This book showcases the enduring relevance of Durkheim’s work, establishing its innovative potential and continued inspiration for modern analysis. This interdisciplinary investigation of Émile Durkheim will benefit scholars and students across the social sciences, particularly those in the fields of sociology, criminology, philosophy, politics, religious studies, and anthropology.

This fascinating book explores the life and work of Emile Durkheim, presenting new and exciting interpretations of his foundational sociological ideas. By tracing the evolution of his thought and its impact on key areas of inquiry, the book demonstrates Durkheim's continuing significance in contemporary social science. Leading scholars recontextualise Durkheim's ideas, placing him in dialogue with other core figures in the social sciences from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Each chapter covers a different topic, and together they address issues in sociology, politics, philosophy, phenomenology, hermeneutics, criminology, nationalism, religious studies, ethics, suicide, gender, anthropology, and post-colonialism. This book showcases the enduring relevance of Durkheim's work, establishing its innovative potential and continued inspiration for modern analysis. This interdisciplinary investigation of Emile Durkheim will benefit scholars and students across the social sciences, particularly those in the fields of sociology, criminology, philosophy, politics, religious studies, and anthropology.

This fascinating book explores the life and work of Emile Durkheim, presenting new and exciting interpretations of his foundational sociological ideas. By tracing the evolution of his thought and its impact on key areas of inquiry, the book demonstrates Durkheim's continuing significance in contemporary social science. Leading scholars recontextualise Durkheim's ideas, placing him in dialogue with other core figures in the social sciences from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Each chapter covers a different topic, and together they address issues in sociology, politics, philosophy, phenomenology, hermeneutics, criminology, nationalism, religious studies, ethics, suicide, gender, anthropology, and post-colonialism. This book showcases the enduring relevance of Durkheim's work, establishing its innovative potential and continued inspiration for modern analysis. This interdisciplinary investigation of Emile Durkheim will benefit scholars and students across the social sciences, particularly those in the fields of sociology, criminology, philosophy, politics, religious studies, and anthropology.

This book will become the standard work on the life and thought of Émile Durkheim, one of the great founding fathers of sociology. Durkheim remains one of the most widely read thinkers in the social sciences and every student of sociology, anthropology and related subjects must study his now-classic books. He brought about a revolution in the social sciences: the defence of the autonomy of sociology as a science, the systematic elaboration of rules and methods for studying the social, the condemnation of racial theories, the critique of Eurocentrism and the rehabilitation of the humanity of 'the primitive'. He defended the dignity of the individual, the freedom of the press, democratic institutions and the essential liberal values of tolerance and pluralism. At the same time he was critical of laisser-faire economics and he defended the values of solidarity and community life. In many ways, Durkheim's rich intellectual heritage has become part of the self-understanding of our time.Despite his enormous influence, the last major biography of Durkheim appeared more than 30 years ago. Since then, the opening up of archives and the discovery of manuscripts, correspondence with friends and close collaborators, administrative reports and notes taken by students have all provided a wealth of new material about his life and work. Meticulously documented, Marcel Fournier’s new biography sheds fresh light on Durkheim’s personality and character, his relationship with Judaism, his family life, his relations with friends and collaborators, his political and administrative responsibilities and his political views.This book will be indispensable to students and scholars throughout the social sciences and will appeal to a wide readership interested in knowing more about the life and work of one of the most original and influential thinkers of the twentieth century.