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THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES k THE ELEMENTARY FORMS OF THE RELIGIOUS LIFE EMILE DURKHEIM The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY JOSEPH WARD SWAIN M.A. LONDON GEORGE ALLEN & UNWIN LTD RUSKIN HOUSE MUSEUM STREET 5 FIRST PUBLISHED IN I915 SECOND IMPRESSION I926 THIRD IMPRESSION I954 FOURTH IMPRESSION 1957 FIFTH IMPRESSION I964 This book is copyright under the Berne Convention. Apartfrom anyfairdealingforthepurposesofprivate itudv, research, criticism or review, aspermittedunder the Copyright Act, ig^G, noportion may be reproduced hy any process without written permission. Enquiry shouldbemadetothepublisher. & (g)George Allen Unwin Ltd. 191 PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BV HOLLEN STREET PRESS LTD LONDON W. I — College Library H-10 CûtO .% CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Subject of our Study Religious Sociology and the Theory of : Knowledge — I. Ptroindceitpearlmsiunbejetchteoefletmheenbtoaorky:foarnmaslyosfisthoefrtehleigsiiomusplleisfet—reWlihgyionthkenyoawrne more easily found and explained in the primitive religions — II. Secondary subject of research: the—genesis of the fundamental notions of thought or the categories Reasons f—or believing that their origin is religious and consequently social How a way of restatingthetheoryofknowledgeisthusseen . . . . . j BOOK I PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS CHAPTER I * Definition of Religious Phenomena and of Religion .......... Usefuilnnessesekofinagptrheilsimidenfairnyitdieofni—niWtihonyoftrheeliguisounal; mdeeftihnoitdiotnosbsehofuollldowbeed —examined first ....—... 23 I. Religion defined by the supernatural and mysterious Criticism: the —nptionofmystery.isnot.prim.itive....... 24 II. —Religiondefinedinconnect—ionwiththeideaofGodoraspiritualbeing. Religions without gods Rites in deistic religions which imply no ideaofdivinity 29 — — III. Sea—rch for a positive def—inition Distinction between beliefs and rites Defiinition of beliefs Fi—rst characteristic: division of things ^.between —sacred and profane Distinctive character—istics of this definition Definition of rites in relation to beliefs Definition of.36 IV.—reNleicgeisosni—ty .of an.oth?er. c.hara.c.te—ris..tic .t,o d.i.sti-n.gu.ish.m.ag.ic..from religion TheideaoftheChurch Doindividualisticreligions exclude theideaofaChurch 42 CHAPTER II Leading Conceptions of the Elementary Religion ....... I. Animism Di—stinctionofanimism.andn.aturi.sm ....... 48 I. Thethreethesesofanimism; Genesisofthe ideaofthesoul; Forma- tion of the idea of spirits; Transformationofthecultofspiritsinto thecultofnature 49 14503.35 — — vi Contents — — PACE II. Criticism of the—first thesis Distinction of the idea of the soul from —thatofadouble .Drea.msdo.not—.accou.ntfor.the.ideao.fthe.soul.. 55 III. Criticism of the second thesis—Death does not explain the trans- formation of a soul into a spirit The cult of the souls of the dead is notprimitive 60 — — IV. Criticism of the third thesis The anthromoporp—hic instinct Spencer's criticism of it; reservations on this point E—xamination of the facts by which this instinct is—said to be proved Difference betweenasoulandthespiritsofnature Religiousanthropomorphism —isnotprimitive .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... .65 \ V. Conclusion: animism reduces religionto nothingmore than asystem ofhallucinations 68 CHAPTER III' — Leading Conce.ption.s of.the.Ele.ment.ary .Relig.ion .{con.tinued) II. Naturis.m ..... Historyofthetheory 71 — I. —ExpositionofMaxMUller'snaturism 73 II. If the object of religion is to express natural forces, it is bard to see how it—has maintained itself, for it expresses them in an erroneous —manner Pr.etend.ed di.stinc.tion b.etwee.n rel.igion.and m.ytho.logy.. 78 III. Naturism does not explain the division of things into sacred and profane 84 CHAPTER IV ...... TOTEMISM AS AN ELEMENTARY RELIGION — I. —Briefhistory.ofth.eques.tion.oftot.emis.m ..... 88 II. Reasons of method for—which our study will be given specially to the totemism of Australia The place which will be given to facts from America 93 BOOK II THE ELEMENTARY BELIEFS CHAPTER I ToTEMic Beliefs — The—Totem as Name and as Emblem— I. Definition ofthe clan The to—tem as name of the clan Nature of the —things which serve as totems Ways in which the totem is acquired — The totemsofphratri—es; of matrimonial classes . . . .102 II. ^The totem as emblem Totemic designs engraved or carved upon —objects; tatooingsor designs upon the body .— . . .— .113 III. Sacred—character of —the totemic emblem The churinga The nurtunja The waninga Conventional character of totemic emblems 119 CHAPTER — II Totemic Beliefs {continued) The Totemic Animal and Man — — I. Sacred character of the totemic an—imals Prohibition to eat them, kill them or pic—k the totemic plants Dif—ferent moderations given these prohibitions Prohibition of contact The sacred character of the animalislessmarkedthanthatoftheemblem . . . .128