Synopses & Reviews
Together with the concept of ‘social facts’, the ‘collective consciousness of society’ is thought of as one of the key concepts in the sociology of Émile Durkheim, widely regarded as one of the founders of modern sociology. Yet, outside of the sociology of crime, the concept is little used within sociology and, even within criminology, seems only partially understood. English-speaking criminologists cannot even agree how the French term ‘conscience collective’ is to be translated into English. ‘Émile Durkheim and the Collective Consciousness of Society’ sets out to address this question and many others connected with the use of the concept in criminology and throughout sociology. Smith argues that Durkheim’s original concept must be sensitively revised and suitably updated for its real relevance to come to the fore. Major adjustments to Durkheim’s concept of the collective consciousness include Smith’s compelling arguments that the model does not apply to everyone equally (we are not all equally incorporated into the collective consciousness), and that Durkheim’s concept does not in any way rely on what might be called the disciplinary functions of society.
Review
‘This excellent book makes a number of extremely interesting and original arguments and neatly links the historical/theoretical focus on Durkheim to contemporary criminological and more broadly sociological concerns. It should be accessible to undergraduates as well as being of interest to scholars in the field.’ —William Outhwaite, Professor of Sociology, Newcastle University, UK
Review
‘In his excellent book Kenneth Smith provides a rigorous reading of a wider range of Durkheim’s texts than is typically used by sociologists and criminologists. In doing so, he finds rarely noticed positive developments of, but also flaws in, the conceptual systems Durkheim deploys. Smith works with these systems, discriminating between them, correcting them, combining them, and using his own sociological imagination to produce a new and conceptually enriched Durkheimianism.’ —Frank Pearce, Professor of Sociology, Queen’s University, Canada
Review
‘Kenneth Smith opens Pandora’s box and retheorizes Durkheim’s crucial notion of the “conscience collective”. His careful analytical exercise is not just illuminating for criminology but also for social theory in general. Smith prompts us to ask once again what the common or collective consciousness of our own societies today might look like. A major achievement of Durkheimian scholarship.’ —Hans-Peter Müller, Professor of Sociology, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany
Synopsis
This volume presents the first ever book-length treatment of Émile Durkheim's concept of the 'collective consciousness of society'.
Synopsis
' mile Durkheim and the Collective Consciousness of Society: A Study in Criminology' challenges conventional thinking on the use of Durkheim's key concept of the 'collective consciousness of society', and represents the first ever book-length treatment of this underexplored topic. Operating from both a criminological and sociological perspective, Kenneth Smith argues that Durkheim's original concept must be sensitively revised and updated for its real relevance to come to the fore.
This study puts forward three major adjustments to Durkheim's concept of the collective consciousness. It complicates the idea that the common and collective consciousness are interchangeable terms for the same phenomenon; it refutes the 'disciplinary' function of society as part of the concept of the common or collective consciousness; and it reveals the illusiveness of the supposed universal set of equally held ideas in a society, underlining the importance of geographical and generational variation.
Synopsis
This volume sets out to explore the use of Émile Durkheim's concept of the 'collective consciousness of society', and represents the first ever book-length treatment of this underexplored topic. Operating from both a criminological and sociological perspective, Kenneth Smith argues that Durkheim's original concept must be sensitively revised and suitably updated for its real relevance to come to the fore. Major adjustments to Durkheim's concept of the collective consciousness include Smith's compelling arguments that the model does not apply to everyone equally, and that Durkheim's concept does not in any way rely on what might be called the disciplinary functions of society.
About the Author
Kenneth Smith is Reader in Criminology and Sociology at Buckinghamshire New University, High Wycombe, UK and the author of 'A Guide to Marx's "Capital" Vols I-III' (2012), also published by Anthem Press.
Table of Contents
Preface; General Introduction; Part I: The Concept of the Collective Consciousness of Society; Part II: The Form of the Collective Consciousness; Macro-sociological Features of the Collective Consciousness; Interregnum on the State; Micro-sociological Features of the Collective Consciousness; Part III: Durkheim’s Concept of Crime and Punishment; Part IV: Durkheim’s Concept of the Collective Consciousness as a ‘Social Fact’; Part V: Some Problems with Durkheim’s Concept of the Collective Consciousness of Society; General Conclusion; Bibliography; Index