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''The Elementary Forms of Religious Life'' (french: Les formes élémentaires de la vie religieuse), published by the French sociologist
Émile Durkheim David Émile Durkheim ( or ; 15 April 1858 – 15 November 1917) was a French sociologist. Durkheim formally established the academic discipline of sociology and is commonly cited as one of the principal architects of modern social science, al ...
in 1912, is a book that analyzes religion as a social phenomenon. Durkheim attributes the development of religion to the emotional security attained through communal living. His study of
totem A totem (from oj, ᑑᑌᒼ, italics=no or ''doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system. While ''the wo ...
ic societies in Australia led to a conclusion that the animal or plant that each clan worshipped as a sacred power was in fact that society itself. Halfway through the text, Durkheim asks, "So if he totem animalis at once the symbol of the god and of the society, is that not because the god and the society are only one?" According to Durkheim, early humans associated such feelings not only with one another, but as well with objects in their environment. This, Durkheim believed, led to the ascription of human sentiments and superhuman powers to these objects, in turn leading to totemism. The essence of religion, Durkheim finds, is the concept of the
sacred Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
, the only phenomenon which unites all religions. "A religion," writes Durkheim, "is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden—beliefs and practices which unite into a single moral community called a Church, all those who adhere to them."''The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life (1915)''
Translated by Joseph Ward Swain, p. 47
Durkheim concludes:
In summing up, then, we must say that society is not at all the illogical or a-logical, incoherent and fantastic being which it has too often been considered. Quite on the contrary, the collective consciousness is the highest form of the psychic life, since it is the consciousness of the consciousnesses. Being placed outside of and above individual and local contingencies, it sees things only in their permanent and essential aspects, which it crystallizes into communicable ideas. At the same time that it sees from above, it sees farther ; at every moment of time, it embraces all known reality ; that is why it alone can furnish the mind with the moulds which are applicable to the totality of things and which make it possible to think of them. It does not create these moulds artificially ; it finds them within itself ; it does nothing but become conscious of them.(445)
Durkheim means that the symbolization of the collective consciousness is done through the totemic animal. It is through this 'flag' that
Australian Aboriginals Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the T ...
become conscious of themselves within a system of knowledge given by the group itself. Durkheim examined religion using such examples as
Pueblo Indian The Puebloans or Pueblo peoples, are Native Americans in the Southwestern United States who share common agricultural, material, and religious practices. Currently 100 pueblos are actively inhabited, among which Taos, San Ildefonso, Acoma, Zu ...
rain dances ''Rain Dances'' is the fifth studio album by English progressive rock band Camel. It was released in 1977 on Gama Records/Decca Records, and brought a major change to the band's lineup, by replacing bassist Doug Ferguson with ex-Caravan member ...
, the religions of aboriginal communities in Australia, and alcoholic
hallucination A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the qualities of a real perception. Hallucinations are vivid, substantial, and are perceived to be located in external objective space. Hallucination is a combinatio ...
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See also

* ''
The Division of Labour in Society ''The Division of Labour in Society'' (french: De la division du travail social) is the doctoral dissertation of the French sociologist Émile Durkheim, published in 1893. It was influential in advancing sociological theories and thought, with i ...
'' (1893) * ''
The Rules of the Sociological Method ''The Rules of Sociological Method'' (french: Les Règles de la méthode sociologique) is a book by Émile Durkheim, first published in 1895. It is recognized as being the direct result of Durkheim's own project of establishing sociology as a p ...
'' (1895) * ''
Suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
'' (1897)


References


Further reading

* ''The Elementary Forms of Religious Life'': Newly Translated By Karen E. Fields. . * ''The Elementary Forms of Religious Life'' (Oxford World's Classics): Translated by Carol Cosman. . * Inglis, David and Roland Robertson. 2008. "The Elementary Forms of Globality: Durkheim on the Emergence and Nature of Global Life." ''Journal of Classical Sociology'' 8:1, 5-25. * Lukes, Steven. 1972. ''Émile Durkheim, His Life and Work: A Historical and Critical Study''. London: Allen Lane and the Penguin Press. * Andrew Mckinnon 2014. 'Elementary Forms of the Metaphorical Life: Tropes at Work in Durkheim’s Theory of the Religious'. ''Journal of Classical Sociology'', vol 14, no. 2, pp. 203–22

* Pickering, W. S. F. 1984. ''Durkheim's Sociology of Religion: Themes and Theories''. London, Routledge and Kegan Paul. * Strenski, Ivan. 2006. ''The New Durkheim'', New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press.


External links

* '
DD - Digital Durkheim
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elementary Forms of Religious Life Sociology books 1912 non-fiction books Works by Émile Durkheim Religious studies books