Morphology and classification. The contribution of Durkheim and the Durkheim school to the sociological theories of space

Abstract

The paper reconstructs how Émile Durkheim viewed space by examining two key notions of his thought: social morphology and social classification. It also traces the ways in which his students and co-workers (the members of the so-called Durkheim school) applied and advanced these concepts. While the concept of morphology focuses on the formal and material aspects of social life, the problem of social classification is located on the level of collective representations. Although neither Durkheim nor the members of the Durkheim School systematically elaborated the connection between these two phenomena, there are some remarks on the basis of which their relationship can be outlined. But this theory of space of the Durkheim school had a peculiar fate. While the theory of classification is cited now and then, references to the concept of social morphology seem to be missing from current theoretical discourse about social spaces. The paper argues that it is a mistake to ignore this theory of social spatiality, partly because its impact was bigger than it might at first appear, and partly because it can still be a source of inspiration for contemporary debates about spatial theory. Keywords: Durkheim, Mauss, Halbwachs, morphology, classification, spatial theory, sociology in France