The double center of gravity in Durkheim's symbol theory: Bringing the symbolism of the body back in
Sociological Theory 15 (3):294-306 (1997)
| Abstract | By studying Durkheim through a Schopenhauerian lens, the one-sidedly cognitivist and functionalist reception of his social theory can be balanced. Durkheim explicitly rejected such monistic interpretations. His dialectical approach was always aimed at an essentially dualistic perception of man and society, wherein the lower pole, the individual, is central. In Durkheim's symbol theory, this position leads to two kinds of symbols: those that are bound to the human body, here called "this and that" symbols, and those people can choose freely, here called "this for that" symbols. This twofold symbol theory can already be found in medieval philosophy (e.g. Dante Alighieri) as well as in the work of Paul Ricoeur. For Durkheim the human person is the symbol par excellence. By implication the rituals in which the person is (re)constructed, that is the rites of passage, should be central. The interpretation here opens up new perspectives for a more psychological interpretation of Durkheim's sociology | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,672 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesBernard B. Berk (2006). Macro-Micro Relationships in Durkheim's Analysis of Egoistic Suicide. Sociological Theory 24 (1):58 - 80.
Mustafa Emirbayer (1996). Useful Durkheim. Sociological Theory 14 (2):109-130.
John Rundell (2006). Durkheim and the Reflexive Condition of Modernity. Critical Horizons 7 (1):179-206.
Charles C. Lemert (2006). Durkheim's Ghosts: Cultural Logics and Social Things. Cambridge University Press.
Emile Durkheim (1986). Durkheim on Politics and the State. Stanford University Press.
Ernest Wallwork (1985). Sentiment and Structure: A Durkheimian Critique of Kohlberg's Moral Theory. Journal of Moral Education 14 (2):87-101.
Anne Warfield Rawls (1997). Durkheim and Pragmatism: An Old Twist on a Contemporary Debate. Sociological Theory 15 (1):5-29.
Gianfranco Poggi (2000). Durkheim. Oxford University Press.
R. Keith Sawyer (2002). Durkheim's Dilemma: Toward a Sociology of Emergence. Sociological Theory 20 (2):227-247.
Analytics
Monthly downloads
Sorry, there are not enough data points to plot this chart.
|
Added to index2009-01-28Total downloads1 ( #274,652 of 549,065 )Recent downloads (6 months)0How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
