Rethinking Durkheim’s Lectures on the Family

• In Event: 592 - Section on History of Sociology Paper Session. Using Sociological Archives

Abstract

At several points in his career, Emile Durkheim gave lectures on the family. The texts have been preserved, but they remain relatively unknown to English-speaking sociologists. Although academic interest in Durkheim’s lectures on the family has been increasing since the middle of the twentieth century, compared to his major works, the literature on Durkheim’s lectures on the family is limited in number and generally offers translation rather than analysis. Analyzing four texts by Durkheim (three lecture transcripts and a debate transcript), I find parallels between Durkheim’s lectures on the family and his better known works. My analysis also indicates that Durkheim’s statements on marriage and divorce do not present a consistent proposition. Lastly, while Durkheim presents his analysis as objective and empirical, I find a strong moral element in Durkheim’s lectures on the family based on his personal opinion. Taken altogether, Durkheim’s lectures on the family do not offer consistent and objective analysis on marriage and divorce but instead convey contradictory and subjective propositions.

Author

• Duygu Basaran Sahin, City University of New York-Graduate Center