Theory, the social and the public - reflections on the fads and foibles of sociology

Responding to a recent Nexus article from Eduardo de la Fuente, this paper is concerned primarily with two underpinning questions. Firstly, what makes ‘theory that lasts’. In answering this I briefly examine some of the work of Riley (2010) in his discussion of the Durkheimians to analyse what influenced their collective fervour over the sacred. It is my proposition that one of the fundamental features of this was the overarching concern with the social, which the Annéewas importantly concerned with. It is clear that the concept of the ‘sacred’ represents ‘theory that lasts’. Secondly, the paper reflects further on the role of theory in the public sphere. Using Juliet Schor as an example, it suggests that sociology which concerns itself fundamentally with the social, can find a place in the public. However, whether this is too idealistic in our contemporary setting is worth considering