"A very well-documented book in the history of sociology which demonstrates the relevance of the Durkheimian sociological perspective for the understanding of the crisis of contemporary societies."--Marcel Fournier, Université de Montréal

"This is a first-rate study, scholarly and accessible, revealing a whole dimension of Durkheim's thought hitherto widely unrecognized, focusing on the role of social representations in economic behavior. Steiner lucidly expounds Durkheim's economic sociology and its development by Mauss, Halbwachs, and Simiand, and persuasively argues for its continuing relevance today."--Steven Lukes, New York University

"The scholarship in this book is extremely impressive. Steiner's arguments testify to his enormously detailed and creative reading of Durkheim and the Durkheimians. No other book exists on Durkheimian economic sociology, and I was impressed and delighted by this book's erudition and argument."--Richard Swedberg, Cornell University

Philippe Steiner is professor of sociology at the Université Paris, Sorbonne.