• 'This study will make a first-rate supplementary source for second or third year students who have some sense of Durkheim's concerns but who wish to go further.' THES

In this highly readable and compact introduction to Durkheim's thought, Gianfranco Poggi examines closely all of Durkheim's canonical works and assesses their significance a century after his death. Poggi also considers closely the question, what did Durkheim mean by 'society'?, and assesses Durkheim's contribution to both political sociology and the sociology of law. Poggi's clear and concise reappraisal of one of the most important thinkers of the last one hundred years will be essential reading for all students of sociology and for anyone interested in the way modern society functions.