Basic Forms of Religious Life: Selections from the Works of Émile Durkheim (Volume 1)

Author: émile Durkheim (French), translated by Qu Dong and Ji Zhe
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: émile Durkheim is one of the three founding figures of sociology, alongside Marx and Weber, and one of the rare synthesizers in the field of humanities and social sciences in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This book draws heavily on anthropological materials to discuss the fundamental principles and propositions of the constitution of religious life starting from totemic institutions. It is considered one of Durkheim's most masterful works and the most representative document of his sociological thought orientation. Additionally, the book reflects the main shift in Durkheim's late thought, which is the theoretical attempt to construct moral individualism using social determinism. Several chapters in this work are regarded as exemplary texts in the study of sociology of knowledge. This volume is a standalone work titled The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. The book cites extensive anthropological materials to discuss the fundamental principles and propositions of the constitution of religious life starting from totemic institutions. It is considered one of Durkheim's most masterful works and the most representative document of his sociological thought orientation. Furthermore, the book reflects an important shift in Durkheim's late thought, which is the theoretical attempt to construct moral individualism using social determinism. Chapters 7 of the second volume and the conclusion are widely recognized as classic examples in the study of sociology of knowledge.