The elementary forms of the religious life
"In this 1912 classic, a founder of modern sociology seeks the enduring source of human social identity. Émile Durkheim presents a remarkably accessible examination of animism, naturism, totemism, myth, and ritual. His intriguing views and ultimate conclusion -- that the source of religion and morality lies in collective consciousness, rather than in individual minds -- remains a topic of debate among sociologists, anthropologists, ethnographers, philosophers, and theologians. Durkheim edited L'Année Sociologique, the first journal of sociology, and was instrumental in establishing the field as a social science. With The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, he explores totemism among Australia's Aborigines, offering the opportunity 'to yield an understanding of the religious nature of man, by showing us an essential and permanent aspect of humanity.' Durkheim's study focuses on the need and capacity of humans to relate to one another socially, with religion as the core of the moral universe. An excellent introduction to the influential sociologist's ideas, this book continues to speak to new generations about the intriguing origin and nature of religion and society" -- Back cover.
Bibliographic Information
| Format: | Book |
|---|---|
| Author: | Durkheim, Émile, 1858-1917, |
| Subject: |
Religion Totemism |
| Publication Year: | 2008 |
| Language: | English |
| Published: | Mineola, New York : Dover Publications, Inc., 2020 |
| ISBN: | 9780486454566 0486454568 |
| Notes: | Includes bibliographical references and index. Translation of: Les formes élémentaires de la vie religieuse. Preliminary questions -- The elementary beliefs -- The principal ritual attitudes. Introduction. Subject of our study: religious sociology and the theory of knowledge -- Book I. Preliminary questions. Definition of religious phenomena and of religion ; Leading conceptions of the elementary religion ; Leading conceptions of the elementary religion (continued) ; Totemism as an elementary religion -- Book II. The elementary beliefs. Totemic beliefs ; Totemic beliefs (continued). The Totemic animal and man ; Totemic beliefs (continued). The cosmological system of Totemism and the idea of class ; Totemic beliefs (end). The individual totem and the sexual totem ; Origins of these beliefs. Critical examination of a preceding theories ; Origins of these beliefs (continued). The notion of the Totemic principle, or Mana, and the idea of force ; Origins of these beliefs (end). Origin of the idea of the Totemic principle or Mana ; The idea of the soul ; The idea of spirits and gods -- Book III. The principal ritual attitudes. The negative cult and its functions. The Ascetic rites ; The positive cult. The elements of sacrifice ; Imitative rites and the principle of causality ; Representative or commemorative rites ; Piacular rites and the ambiguity of the notion of sacredness -- Conclusion. This Dover edition, first published in 2008, is an unabridged republication of the work first published:by George Allen & Unwin Ltd., London, in 1915. |
| Course: |
SOC205 |
Availability at HKSYU Library
| Location | Call number | Status |
|---|---|---|
| English Book (4/F) | 306.6 DUR 2020 | Available |