More specifically still, it is the architects of Yale School cultural sociology - of whom Smith is one - who have paved the way for Durkheim's re-signification as the patron saint of cultural sociology. Parsons' concern with various quintessentially Durkheimian problematics, which he sought to grapple with using Durkheim-inspired forms of "systems theory", elevated Durkheim's prominence to new levels within American social science and beyond. Throughout the book, Smith is keen to identify those thinkers - Lévi-Strauss comprising an interesting and complex case in point - whose debt to Durkheim ran deeper than they cared to admit, or, put more charitably, they were able to see at the time. [Extracted from the article]