The Imaginary and the Social Bond: The Unconscious Life of Representations—Durkheim, Bourdieu, Alexander

The hypothesis on which the whole chapter centres attempts to explore the relation we believe exists between the integrative efficacy of the social imaginary and the chances it has of concealing its own socially-constructed nature. That is to say, the idea that the more the arbitrary, artificial origin of the imaginary is removed from the consciousness of actors, the more it is able to realize its own potential for social integration. To test the grounds for such an interpretation, we will seek to track down its presence in the works of three thinkers who appear to share a certain sensibility towards the imaginary and the role played by the unconscious in collective life, in spite of their occasionally strident diversity. We are speaking of Émile Durkheim, Pierre Bourdieu and Jeffrey Alexander. We will try to prove the existence in these three authors of an underground dialogue focusing on the integrative force of the imaginary as a function of its potential for the unconscious penetration of the minds of social actors.