ABSTRACT
In this chapter we will investigate the notion of boundary in social thought. We do this because the concept of transgression proceeds from an assumption and a recognition of ‘that’ which can be transgressed. So the story which always precedes the commission or acknowledgement of a transgressive act is the constitution of a centre, a centre that provides for a social structure, and a structure of meaning that is delimited or marked out by boundaries. Quite simply, until the fencing is erected around the recognised and recognisable territory then it is not possible to cross that line and enter, invade or trespass into another place. This all sounds extremely straightforward, very concrete and merely geographical but, of course, these boundaries are entirely analytic, multi-dimensional and virtual, and yet known to members of a society within a spectrum of interpretation. The real problem then lies in a conceptualisation of the centre and the structure that it maintains and the processes by which the centre becomes known. In many senses the elucidation of this ‘reality’ has been the mission of sociology since its inception. What is it that holds people together in the whole range of social relationships that they inhabit from family, through institution, to community and society?
