Emile Durkheim

Durkheim analyzed social solidarity indirectly by distinguishing between repressive law and restitutive law. This article explains in clear terms how to observe the invisible internal social facts of solidarity through the visible external facts of law, clarifying the legal structures behind mechanical and organic solidarity.

Discover how sociologists use theory to bring order to complex social phenomena. Learn why theory matters, and how it helps us interpret everyday life and hidden social patterns.

This article is the fourth installment of the Introductory Sociology series.

This article is the third installment of the Introductory Sociology series.

This article is the second installment of the Introductory Sociology series.

This article is the first installment of the Introductory Sociology series.