50 pages • 1 hour read
The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life
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Book Brief
The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life
Nonfiction | Reference/Text Book | Adult | Published in 1912416
Reference/Text Book • Nonfiction
1912
Adult
18+ years
Super Short Summary
The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life by Émile Durkheim queries the origins of religion in human society by examining Aboriginal Australian religion. Durkheim explores how social forces in communal settings create a sense of transcendence that humans interpret religiously. He defines religion as a system classifying reality into sacred and profane spheres, emerging primarily from totemism. Note: Durkheim’s language and characterizations of Indigenous cultures can be Eurocentric and lack nuance by modern standards.
Informative
Contemplative
Mysterious
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Émile Durkheim's The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life is acclaimed for its thorough analysis of religion's social function, utilizing Australian totemism to illustrate broader concepts. While praised for its pioneering sociological approach, some critique its ethnographic accuracy and Eurocentric perspectives. Overall, it remains a seminal work in sociological theory.
Who Should Read The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life?
A reader who enjoys The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life by Émile Durkheim is typically an academic or a student interested in sociology, anthropology, and the study of religion. Comparable to readers of Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism or Clifford Geertz's The Interpretation of Cultures, they appreciate examining the societal role and impact of religious practices.
Edward Burnett Tylor
Edward Burnett Tylor
An English anthropologist known for his theory of animism as a foundational form of religion and for influencing developmental views of society, which influenced Durkheim's engagement and critique of these ideas.
James George Frazer
James George Frazer
A Scottish anthropologist whose developmental view of religion as progressing from magic to religion to science is a point of engagement and contrast with Durkheim's own views on the evolution of religion.
Baldwin Spencer & F. J. Gillen
Baldwin Spencer & F. J. Gillen
Anthropologists who conducted significant fieldwork on Aboriginal Australian societies, providing essential data that Durkheim relied on in his analysis of fundamental forms of human religion.
416
Reference/Text Book • Nonfiction
1912
Adult
18+ years
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