The Rules of Sociological Method

And Selected Texts on Sociology and its Method

Emile Durkheim, Steven Lukes

• Publisher: Free Press
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN:
  9781476749723
• eBook ISBN:
  9781439118375
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Philosophy
• Index: Social Sciences

Revised for the first time in over thirty years, this edition of Emile Durkheim’s masterful work on the nature and scope of sociology is updated with a new introduction and improved translation by leading scholar Steven Lukes that puts Durkheim’s work into context for the twenty-first century reader.

The Rules of Sociological Method represents Emile Durkheim’s manifesto for sociology. He argues forcefully for the objective, scientific, and methodological underpinnings of sociology as a discipline and establishes guiding principles for future research.

The substantial new introduction by leading Durkheim scholar Steven Lukes explains and sets into context Durkheim’s arguments. Lukes examines the still-controversial debates about The Rules of Sociological Method’s six chapters and explains their relevance to present-day sociology. The edition also includes Durkheim’s subsequent thoughts on method in the form of articles, debates with scholars from other disciplines, and letters. The original translation has been revised and reworked in order to make Durkheim’s arguments clearer and easier to read.

This is an essential resource for students and scholars hoping to deepen their understanding of one of the pioneering voices in modern sociology and twentieth-century social thought.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Preface to This Edition, by Steven Lukes
• Introduction to This Edition, by Steven Lukes
• Emile Durkheim’s Life and Works: Timeline 1858–1917
• Suggestions for Further Reading
• Original Translator’s Note
• The Rules of Sociological Method by Emile Durkheim
• Subsequent Writings of Emile Durkheim on Sociology and Its Method
• About Emile Durkheim and Steven Lukes
• Index
• Copyright