INTRODUCTION

Many undergraduate students in the past, certainly in Britain and the United States, have been introduced to Durkheim’s thought by reading his book on suicide (see chapter 12 here). Talk to them about Durkheim and immediately they refer to it. Of its kind, it is generally recognized as a classic, and if teachers want the students to encounter Durkheim’s sociology, probably no other book written by him will create such a spark of enthusiasm.