Incest Taboo and Its Origins (Collected Works of Durkheim, Volume 6)

Author: émile Durkheim (French), translated by Ji Ze et al.
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2006-08-01
Features: This volume includes the document titled "The Prohibition of Incest and Its Origins." This document, published in 1898 as an article in Volume of L'Année Sociologique, holds significant importance in the development of Durkheim's own theories and the intellectual legacy of the L'Année Sociologique school. Beyond its formal significance, the article also marks a turning point in Durkheim's thought. Compared to Several Forms of Primitive Classification (also titled Primitive Classification) and The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, this article was published earlier, and its topic is more focused, concentrating on the social origins of existence. Durkheim clearly explains why "incest" was chosen as the central issue: because incest (inceste) is not only prohibited but also regarded as the most severe of all immoral acts, the prohibition of incest should be considered the earliest form of social regulation, and its morphological primitive form is exogamy. In other words, the starting point of morality can be entirely attributed to such a system, and the of examining the prohibition of incest is to trace the origins and development of exogamy. However, Durkheim did not stop there. He inherited and refined Frazer's research approach, arguing that exogamy and totemism are not only related but also hold a primary position in their relationship, while the relationship between exogamy and kinship is secondary. The core elements of the former relationship are primitive rituals and rites, and in the study of these rituals and rites, "collective representation" (représentation collective) can play an important role, and its sociological implications can also be demonstrated. It can be said that The Prohibition of Incest and Its Origins is a milestone in the development of Durkheim's middle and late social thought. Some key concepts in Durkheim's sociology of religion and sociology of knowledge have already emerged in this article.
Additionally, this volume includes other important documents by Durkheim on religious studies, such as articles, notes, book reviews, and discussions. These documents not only help clarify Durkheim's basic views on primitive religion but also allow us to explore the relationship between religion and modern society along the above. Many documents, such as "Individualism and the Intellectual," "Intellectual Elites and Democracy," and "The Principles of 1789 and Sociology," as well as the prefaces Durkheim wrote for the first two volumes of L'Année Sociologique, have long been recognized by academia as the most representative theoretical documents that reflect Durkheim's theoretical inclinations and concern for reality. Readers can clearly see from these documents how a great thinker clarified the basic concept of "moral individualism" in a theoretical sense and, while fully explaining its limitations, applied it in practice.
The fourth part of the selected documents in this volume begins with "The Duality of Human Nature and Its Social Conditions," introducing Durkheim's discussions on sociology and its methods. In this article, Durkheim, through the concept of "the duality of human nature," explains how he confronted, addressed, and sought to resolve Kant's dilemma. Thus, readers can also attempt to discern the subtle relationship between Durkheimism and Kantism from this article. In the other documents included in this section, readers can also grasp the basic ideas of Durkheim's sociology and observe the complex dynamics of mutual influence, continuity, and even opposition between Durkheim and other theoretical schools through Durkheim's analyses and critiques of his contemporaries.
At the end of this volume, we have also selected some of Durkheim's papers on the history of the family and the history of law. If these articles are read alongside some of Durkheim's most famous works, readers are sure to find much enjoyment and discovery.