THE CONCEPT OF ANOMIE WITHIN DURKHEIM SOCIOLOGY

The aim of this study is to explain the concept of anomie as introduced to sociological discourse by E. Durkheim in its connection to his entire work, a body of work which is primarily preceived as a result of social crisis and, simultaneously, as an attempt to overcome this crisis. The concept of anomie was employed by Durkheim as one of the key concepts in the diagnosis of the above-mentioned crisis. The article presents the concept in relation to Durkheim's conception of two variations of social solidarity as well as his understanding of the individual as a permanently divided personality. It postulates that the concept of anomie first appears in Durkheim's work as a characteristic of a particular form of suicide identified by the author. The study analyses the import of anomie in both of these connections, concluding that this concept was relatively marginal in Durkheim's rich theoretical work. This view is also supported by the fact that in contrast to other concepts, Durkheim neither explored anomie systematically, nor formally defined it. Finally, the article seeks to offer a summarised and synthesised interpretation of this rather ambiguous concept of durkheimian sociology.