The usage of relativismo in Émile Durkheim's sociology

Abstract

Intending to promote a larger understanding of Émile Durkheim’s work, this paper seek to reflect abou the usage of relativism in durkheimian sociology. In a first moment, we investigate the nature of the usage of this analytical tool by the author. By doing this we can understand how it serves the function of delimitation of a proper object of sociology as a science that explains the colectif through the colectif. It can only, then, analyse the difference in social phenomena through the conditions by which the societies in question are constituted. Then, we propose to explain over what methodological and epistemological principles of durkheimian sociology the usage of relativism is built – linking the aplication of the idea to some cornerstones of Durkheim’s work like the notions of social fact and social species, for exemple. In the third section we think about the place of this usage of relativismo in the effort of delimitation of sociology as a science that is different of other fields of knowledge – like philosophy, for exemple. The last part of the paper is dadecated to reflect on the possibilities of the usage of relativism by Durkheim – who is not a relativist. Understanding the interrelatedness of objects as a way to explain difference between societies incurs from a methodological disposition in face of evidence for the durkheimian sociological analysis.