Towards a Collective Psychology :Halbwachs’ Durkheimian Legacy
and his Rivalry with Blondel during the Interwar Period
Laurent MUCCHIELLI

Summary :
This article analyses the ongoing debate between the sociologist Maurice Halbwachs and the psychologist Charles Blondel on the nature of collective psychology, and in particular with regard to the questions of suicide, memory and the relationship between the individual and society in general. This episode which belongs both to the history of sociology and that of psychology appears particularly helpful in determining the boundaries between and divisions within the relevant disciplines, as well as the most sharply debated paradigms and epistemological issues during this formative period in French university life.

Key words : Sociology, Collective Psychology, Psychiatry, Memory, Suicide, Halbwachs, Blondel
Mucchiel@ext.jussieu.fr