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Until recently the subject of suffering and evil was neglected in the sociological world and was almost absent in Durkheimian studies as well. This book aims to fill the gap, with particular reference to the Durkheimian tradition, by exploring the different meanings that the concepts of evil and suffering have in Durkheim's works, together with the general role they play in his sociology. It also examines the meanings and roles of these concepts in relation to suffering and evil in the work of other authors within the group of the Année sociologique up until the beginning of World War II. Finally, the Durkheimian legacy in its wider aspects is assessed, with particular reference to the importance of the Durkheimian categories in understanding and conceptualizing contemporary forms of evil and suffering.
List of contents
Acknowledgements
Prolegomena Introduction: Suffering, Evil and Durkheimian Sociology: Filling a Gap
W.S.F. Pickering and
Massimo Rosati Reflections on the Death of Emile Durkheim
W.S.F. Pickering PART I: SUFFERING AND EVIL IN DURKHEIM Chapter 1. Le Suicide and Psychological Suffering
Sophie Jankélévitch Chapter 2. Suffering and Evil in the
Elementary Forms Massimo Rosati Chapter 3. Some Concepts of 'Evil' in Durkheim's Thought
Giovanni Paoletti Chapter 4. Suffering to Become Human: A Durkheimian Perspective
Mark S. Cladis PART II: THE DURKHEIMIAN LEGACY Chapter 5. Robert Hertz on Suffering and Evil: The Negative Processes of Social Life and Their Resolution
Robert Parkin Chapter 6. Le Malin Génie: Durkheim, Bataille and the Prospect of a Sociology of Evil
William Ramp Chapter 7. Evil and Collective Responsibility: The Durkheimian Legacy and Contemporary Debates
Massimo Rosati Chapter 8. The Hague Tribunal: Critical Reflections Prompted by Durkheim's Remarks on Suffering
John B. Allcock Chapter 9. Looking Backwards and to the Future
W.S.F. Pickering Notes on Contributors
References
Index
About the author
W. S. F. Pickering (1922-2016) was a retired Lecturer in sociology from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1991, he helped found the British Centre for Durkheimian Studies in the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford.
Massimo Rosati (1969-2014) was Associate Professor at University of Rome Tor Vergata, where he taught Sociology. He published articles on Durkheim and contemporary social theory. He was the editor of the new Italian edition of Durkheim’s The Elementary Forms of Religious Life and he was author of Ritual and the Sacred: A Neo-Durkheimian Analysis of Politics, Religion and the Self (2009).
Summary
Until recently the subject of suffering and evil was neglected in the sociological world and was almost absent in Durkheimian studies as well. This book aims to fill the gap, with particular reference to the Durkheimian tradition, by exploring the different meanings that the concepts of evil and suffering have in Durkheim's works, together with the general role they play in his sociology. It also examines the meanings and roles of these concepts in relation to suffering and evil in the work of other authors within the group of the Année sociologique up until the beginning of World War II. Finally, the Durkheimian legacy in its wider aspects is assessed, with particular reference to the importance of the Durkheimian categories in understanding and conceptualizing contemporary forms of evil and suffering.
Additional text
"...an impressive collection that makes a strong contribution to sociological theory and Durkheimian scholarship. Its particular strength is how it makes available the robustness and enduring importance of Durkheim's rich conceptual lexicon...Selected chapters also offer substantial and theoretically complex contributions to more specialized areas of inquire...Theoretically sophisticates, yet relatively accessible, this volume is particularly appropriate for inclusion in advanced undergraduate theory courses or graduate level seminars." • Canadian Journal of Sociology/Cahiers canadiens de sociologie
