The search for social cohesion: from Durkheim to the European Commission

Abstract

In the search for social cohesion there is a consistent tendency for some sociologists, both classical and contemporary, to become prophets manqués. They regularly affirm that there has been some fall from grace and that the morality of their times is confused and impoverished. The golden age of traditional morality is, typically, not very precisely described and nor, for that matter, are the future consequences for society of its ‘relinquished common morality’ (Wilson 1983: 332) specified very clearly. I do not want to spend much time in documenting this tendency but a few examples may illustrate well enough the position I have in mind.