What Holds You Together: ‘The Social Link’ in Durkheim, Saussure and Lacan

Abstract

It has long been customary to refer to Lacan's theory of the four discourses as a theory of four specific forms of social link. An understanding of each of the terms in question, however – both ‘discourse’ and ‘social link’ – must be developed in its own right in order to develop a fuller understanding of the meaning of this formula. In this essay, we will explore the employment of the term ‘social link’ in the work of Émile Durkheim and Ferdinand de Saussure, in an effort to better grasp the manner in which Lacan can be understood to have drawn from each. By clarifying the understanding of the term ‘social link ‘that was operative in Lacan's work, we can restore the centrality of the sociological influence upon Lacan, which has important implications both conceptually and clinically.