ABSTRACT
Any complete general social theory must deal with legal institutions, for these are the main formally organized normative structures of modern societies. Durkheim’s general social theory certainly meets this test of completeness, The sociology of law was an essential component of his work, so much so that his sociology cannot be fully understood without considering it. A particular interpretation of legal phenomena was a central part of the Durkheimians’ disciplinary consensus and the focus of much of the research not only of Durkheim, but of many of his most important students and colleagues as well (Vogt 1983).
