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This research investigates the role of archetypes as a methodological tool within the sociology of the imaginary.

March 19, 2026Open Access

The Archetype as a Heuristic Instrument for the Sociology of the Imaginary

Key Points

This research investigates the role of archetypes as a methodological tool within the sociology of the imaginary.
Review of existing literature on anthropology and sociology.
Analysis of foundational works by Gilbert Durand and Cornelius Castoriadis.
Examination of the methodological implications of using archetypes.
Identified archetypes enhance understanding of unconscious social phenomena.
Found correlations between archetypes and social actions.
Proposed new frameworks for integrating archetypes into sociological research.

Abstract

Today, one of the most interesting questions for the sociological discipline, including from the point of view of methodology and method, probably concern the question of the archetype as a heuristic tool. In which way it can be usefully adopted by the sociology of the imaginary - which is gradually making its way into the mainstream discipline and which poses itself as a perspective for understanding the deep, even unconscious, dimension of social phenomena and actions? In this respect, it is useful to look back at some crucial moments in the thinking of authors such as Gilbert Durand and Cornelius Castoriadis, who laid the foundations for an epistemologically and methodologically equipped use of the notion of archetype in contemporary social sciences.

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