DURKHEIM’S USE OF THE TERM CULTURE

Text topic: Studies

Text author: Божидар Филиповић

Using the method of content analysis, in our work we offered a concise insight into the use of the term “culture” in the work of Emile Durkheim. Bearing in mind that the heritage of enlightenment can be perceived in Durkheim’s work, but indirectly the traditions of Romanticism as well, we consider the issue of using this term an important one. The specter of meanings associated with the notion of “culture” makes it suitable for use as a kind of indicator. Much like the Rorschach stains, very different meanings can be loaded into it. Findings show that Durkheim did not use the word “culture” very often, considering the volume of his work. He most often connected it with the scientific, intellectual, logical, etc. We paid special attention to his most important works (The Division of Labor in Society, Rules of Sociological Method, Suicide and the Elementary Forms of the Religious Life). Other works are covered by a quantitative analysis of the use of the word “culture” in which we tried to find the most frequent attributes that appear alongside the aforementioned term. The analysis covers most of Durkheim’s opus published during and after his life.