A Durkheimian Approach to Globalization

The work of Émile Durkheim, and particularly his theory of the division of labor, occupies a somewhat peculiar place in the pantheon of classical sociologists. This article extends Durkheim's analysis of Europe's transformations in the early twentieth century to suggest how his theoretical apparatus might be used to interpret subsequent developments in the twenty-first. In particular, it suggests that Durkheim's concern with solidarity-a key theme of his work-has been largely neglected in the current field of organization studies, which might be reinvigorated by a greater concern for issues of inequality in the global arena.