In The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912), Emile Durkheim sets himself the task of discovering the enduring
source of human social identity. He investigates what he considered to be the simplest form of documented religion
- totemism among the Aborigines of Australia. For Durkheim, studying Aboriginal religion was a way 'to yield an
understanding of the religious nature of man, by showing us an essential and permanent aspect of humanity'. The
need and capacity of men and women to relate to one another socially lies at the heart of Durkheim's exploration,
in which religion embodies the beliefs that shape our moral universe.
The Elementary Forms has been applauded and debated by sociologists, anthropologists, ethnographers, philosophers,
and theologians, and continues to speak to new generations about the intriguing origin and nature of religion and
society. This new, lightly abridged edition provides an excellent introduction to Durkheim's ideas.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Note on the Text
Select Bibliography
A Chronology of Emile Durkheim
Map
The Elementary Forms of Religious Life
Introduction
p. 3
A Definition of the Religious Phenomenon and of Religion
p. 25
The Leading Conceptions of Elementary Religion: I. Animism
p. 47
The Leading Conceptions of Elementary Religion: II. Naturism
p. 63
Totemism as Elementary Religion: Historical Review of the Question, Method of Treating It
p. 76
Central Totemic Beliefs: I. The Totem as Name and Emblem
p. 87
Central Totemic Beliefs: II. The Totemic Animal and Man
p. 101
Central Totemic Beliefs: III. The Cosmological System of Totemism and the Notion of Genus
p. 109
Central Totemic Beliefs: IV. The Individual Totem and the Sexual Totem
p. 121
The Origins of These Beliefs: I. A Critical Examination of the Theories
p. 126
The Origins of These Beliefs: II. The Notion of the Totemic Principle or Mana, and the Idea of Force
p. 140
The Origins of These Beliefs: III. The Genesis of the Notion of the Totemic Principle or Mana
p. 153
The Notion of Soul
p. 183
The Notion of Spirits and Gods
p. 203
The Negative Cult and its Functions: Ascetic Rites
p. 221
The Positive Cult: I. The Element of Sacrifice
p. 243
The Positive Cult: II. Mimetic Rites and the Principle of Causality
p. 261
The Positive Cult: III. Representative of Commemorative Rites
p. 276
Piacular Rites and the Ambiguity of the Notion of the Sacred
p. 289
Conclusion
p. 310
Select List of Anthropologists and Ethnologists who Informed Durkheim's Work
p. 344
Explanatory Notes
p. 345
Index
p. 351
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.
