Durkheim's Account of the Importance of Rituals in Modern Society
Durkheim’s account of the importance of rituals in modern society
Durkheim’s theories on ritual are an integral part of his work on religion, outlined in his book ‘The Elementary Forms of Religious Life’. Rites are defined by Durkheim as ‘determined modes of action’ (Durkheim, 1915, pg. 36). They are ceremonies that are active expressions of particular beliefs or aspects of a religion. It is necessary to consider and assess the theories on religion before examining and assessing those on rites and ritual specifically. Durkheim studied Australian totem tribes in order to uncover the ‘elementary forms of religious life’ and to gain something of an insight into the origins and functions of religion. He believed that religions served a function; to maintain social cohesion and solidarity. However, he also theorised that with the increase in industrialisation and modernity, such traditional forms of religion would be replaced with nationalism and communism; which, he argued would have more or less the same functional effects as the traditional religions. As a positivist, Durkheim believed that the use of science in sociology involves studying ‘social facts’ (Giddens, 1993, pg. 707) and through studying society in the same way as one would the natural sciences, realities and truthful, valid knowledge could confidently be gained. His observations and method used for the totem tribes of Australia went some way to achieving this confident knowledge. However, some criticisms have been raised concerning the limitations of his sole use of the totem tribes in order to theorize about the function of religion and ritual; especially when it came to validating his theories on religion and social change and the rise of modernity.
As an atheist, Durkheim sought for secular reasons for the existence of religion. He thought that religious belief arose from psychological and individual explanations. For example, ‘mistaken apprehensions of natural phenomena’ (see Cuff et al). However,
Durkheim’s theories on ritual are an integral part of his work on religion, outlined in his book ‘The Elementary Forms of Religious Life’. Rites are defined by Durkheim as ‘determined modes of action’ (Durkheim, 1915, pg. 36). They are ceremonies that are active expressions of particular beliefs or aspects of a religion. It is necessary to consider and assess the theories on religion before examining and assessing those on rites and ritual specifically. Durkheim studied Australian totem tribes in order to uncover the ‘elementary forms of religious life’ and to gain something of an insight into the origins and functions of religion. He believed that religions served a function; to maintain social cohesion and solidarity. However, he also theorised that with the increase in industrialisation and modernity, such traditional forms of religion would be replaced with nationalism and communism; which, he argued would have more or less the same functional effects as the traditional religions. As a positivist, Durkheim believed that the use of science in sociology involves studying ‘social facts’ (Giddens, 1993, pg. 707) and through studying society in the same way as one would the natural sciences, realities and truthful, valid knowledge could confidently be gained. His observations and method used for the totem tribes of Australia went some way to achieving this confident knowledge. However, some criticisms have been raised concerning the limitations of his sole use of the totem tribes in order to theorize about the function of religion and ritual; especially when it came to validating his theories on religion and social change and the rise of modernity.
As an atheist, Durkheim sought for secular reasons for the existence of religion. He thought that religious belief arose from psychological and individual explanations. For example, ‘mistaken apprehensions of natural phenomena’ (see Cuff et al). However,
References: Durkheim. E., 1912. The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life. In: Giddens. A., 1972. Emile Durkheim:Selected Writings. London: Cambridge University Press. Durkheim. E., 1912. The Elementary Forms of the religious Life. In: Lambek. M., 2002. A Reader in the Anthropology of Religion. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Ch.2. Durkheim. E., 1915. The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life. Translated from French by J.W. Swain. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd. Geertz. C., 1957. Ritual and Social Change: A Javanese Example. American Anthropological Association. Blackwell Publishers. Available at <http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/666528.pdf?acceptTC=true> [Accessed 1st March, 2012] Giddens Morrison. K. 2006. Marx, Durkheim, Weber: Foundations of Modern Social Thought. London: Sage Publications Ltd. Mennand. L and Schwartz. S., 1982. T.S.Elliot on Durkheim: A New Attribution. University of Chicago Press. Available at <http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/437155.pdf?acceptTC=true> [Accessed 2nd March, 2012] Olaveson Oxford. 1998. New Oxford Dictionary of English. Oxford: Oxford University Press Pals