ABSTRACT
This chapter illuminates the particular character of Durkheim's intellectual legacy as well as arguing for its contemporary significance, focusing especially upon the religious dimensions of Durkheim's sociological thought. It suggests that there are two key features of Durkheim's legacy that remain of vital importance for contemporary scholars. First, focuses on society as a sui generis reality, transcendent of the individuals who constitute it. Second, Durkheim's legacy concerns the fundamental importance he attributes to the religious dimensions of society. The analysis of religions as collective representations of the emotional and moral dynamics of group life has not only had a significant impact on sociology and anthropology but also remains a key influence upon some of the more creative and interesting areas of contemporary social and cultural theory. The chapter argues that many of the divergent responses to Durkheim's legacy reflect faulty understandings of the sociological project he sought to develop.
