File(s) not publicly available
Against the Big Society: a Durkheimian socialist critique
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 10:25 authored by Matt DawsonThis paper is an attempt to take a critical sociological look at the UK government’s flagship ‘Big Society’ policy. To do this I utilize thepolitical sociology of Émile Durkheim, specifically what I call his ‘socialist theory’. This overlooked aspect of Durkheim’s sociology contains a strong normative critique and alternative project concerning the role of the State, private property, economic regulation and inequality. By applying this to the Big Society it is argued that the latter will result in: increased moral fragmentation, the furthering of economic inequality and the development of a ‘postcode lottery’. Instead, Durkheim’s advocacy of functional representation in the form of the ‘corporations’ seems to hold some contemporary relevance.
History
Publication status
- Published
Journal
Critical Social PolicyISSN
0261-0183Publisher
SAGE PublicationsExternal DOI
Issue
1Volume
33Page range
78-96Department affiliated with
- Sociology and Criminology Publications
Notes
Online First ArticleFull text available
- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2012-07-23Usage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedKeywords
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC