the relationship between anomic social conditions
and suicide, a concept that remains important in the
twenty-fi rst century (see “Sociology Works!”).
Durkheim’s contributions to sociology are so signifi
cant that he has been referred to as “the crucial
fi gure in the development of sociology as an academic
discipline [and as] one of the deepest roots
of the sociological imagination” (Tiryakian, 1978:
187). He is described as the founding fi gure of the
functionalist theoretical tradition.
Although they acknowledge Durkheim’s important
contributions, some critics note that his emphasis
on societal stability, or the “problem of order”—how
society can establish and maintain social stability and
cohesiveness—obscured the subjective meaning that
individuals give to social phenomena such as religion,
work, and suicide. From this view, overemphasis on
structure and the determining power of “society”
resulted in a corresponding neglect of agency (the
beliefs and actions of the actors involved) in much of
Durkheim’s theorizing (Zeitlin, 1997).