British Centre for Durkheimian Studies (BCDS)

Description

Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) was a French philosopher and sociologist whose work on religion, society, and social interactions continues to have a lasting impact. His influential 1912 book, "The Elementary Forms of Religious Life," remains a crucial framework for understanding the relationship between religion and various cultural aspects such as national, ethnic, and civic identity. Despite the indirect acknowledgment by many post-structuralist and post-modernist thinkers, Durkheim's ideas remain fundamental in French theoretical and sociological materials.

The British Centre for Durkheimian Studies, founded by Durkheim expert W.S.F. (Bill) Pickering in 1991, serves as a central forum and hub for the study of religion. It is now located within the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford, supporting and promoting research in various Durkheimian disciplines, including religion, anthropology, sociology, law, and politics. The Centre actively publishes significant monographs, edited volumes, and dedicated journals, primarily through its long-standing partnership with Berghahn Books. Additionally, the Centre provides social theory of religion courses at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels.

Originally established in the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography in 1991, the British Centre for Durkheimian Studies was transferred to the Faculty of Theology and Religion in 2017. This move aims to highlight the Faculty's pivotal role in advancing Durkheimian studies in the UK, particularly in the realm of theoretical research on the social aspects of religion.

Offers funding

No, this infrastructure does not provide funding.

Founding year

1991

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University affiliation(s)

University of Oxford
Oxford