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DAILY
CLASS NOTES
SOCIOLOGY

Lecture - 45
EMILE DURKHEIM- 7
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EMILE DURKHEIM- 7

RELIGION AND SOCIETY

 His concept of religion is based on his systematic view of society. According to him,
society consists of two parts – the sacred and the profane and this process of
dividing the world into the sacred and the profane starts with the totems.
 ‘The sacred’ are the things which are set apart and are forbidden. Sacred refers to all

the things which are connected to the supernatural. A relationship of distance and

fear is maintained with respect to these things.

 ‘Profane’ are the things apart from the sacred. It includes all the day-to-day things

which people use in their lives. Sacred and profane are two worlds apart and both

are mutually exclusive.

 Durkheim also gave a causal explanation of religion by using method of ‘indirect

experimentation’. Modern religion is complex and full of variations, so establishing a

causal linkage is difficult. But at the same time, the simple forms of religion exist if

the cause of such simpler forms is established; the same will apply to the modern

religions also.

 Durkheim conducted an experiment on the simplest form of religion i.e. ‘Totemism’ in

which totems are worshiped. Durkheim argued that the totem is nothing but the

representation of the clan itself. He drew this analysis from the study of religious

practices among ‘Arunta’ – the Australian aboriginals.

 If the cause of the totem is established, the same will be the cause of modern religion.

Primitive men were wanderers and they kept on moving from one place to another.

Occasionally when they came together for some purpose (for clan festivals etc) and

interacted on such occasions, they felt different. This feeling disappeared, once they
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separated. Individuals who experience the heightened energy of social force in a

gathering of the clan seek some explanation for this state.

 According to primitive logic, they explained this feeling in terms of the presence of

some supernatural force. But, according to Durkheim, the gathering itself was the

real cause and it was a showcase of social forces. Durkheim calls this feeling a ‘state of

exultation’ or ‘collective effervescence’ i.e. the heightened feeling of energy generated

in collective gatherings. The clan member mistakenly attributes the energy he or she

feels to the symbols of the clan.

 The totems are the material representations of the nonmaterial force that is at their

base, and that nonmaterial force is none other than society. This feeling which was

due to the feeling of being together was, instead, interpreted as sacred.

 According to Durkheim, there is nothing particular about totems which make them

sacred. So, the totem is a symbol of collectivity or the symbol of society itself as it

represents those social forces which are felt by individuals at the social gatherings.

 Ultimately, he suggests that we worship society and religion is an example of self-

creation and autonomous development of society. Religious experiences are real

experiences of social forces, forces that unite us. Social obligations are represented in

sacred terms and hence transformed into religious duties.

 For Durkheim, worship of sacred is nothing but the worship of society’s collective

conscience towards sacred symbol. Religion serves to reinforce and perpetuate the

collective consciousness, and provides a framework for individuals to understand their

place within society.

 Durkheim argued that religious beliefs and practices are shaped by the collective

consciousness, rather than being the result of individual choices or preferences.

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Religion serves to reinforce the social order by providing individuals with a sense of

belonging and purpose, and by reinforcing shared values and norms.

 According to Durkheim, it is easier for man to visualize and direct his feelings of awe

towards a symbol like totem, idol etc rather than towards a complex thing like a

society.

FUNCTIONS OF RELIGION

 Like his other functional theories, he sees religion also in functional terms. He sees

religion also as a social fact.

 In modern societies which are highly individualized and differentiated, religion

performs the function of bringing people together.Thus, it promotes social solidarity

and integration within society.

 It provides amening of life and provides a mechanism of social cohesion nd social

control.

 Through the mean of religion, social norms are reaffirmed and social stability is

maintained. Durkheim also argued that religion serves to regulate individual behavior,

by providing a set of moral values and norms that guide individual action.

In summary, Durkheim's theory of religion argues that religion is a social institution that

serves to unify society, reinforce shared values and norms, and provide individuals with a

sense of belonging and purpose. Religion is rooted in the distinction between the sacred

and the profane, and is a manifestation of the collective consciousness of society.

CRITICISM OF RELIGION

Durkheim’s theory of religion was criticized on following grounds –

 The dichotomy of profane and sacred is not absolute and there can be things which

are mundane also as per Edmund Leach.

 Weber: Religious ideologies not only provide stability but can also become source of

change as protestantism led to the development of capitalism.

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 R.K.Merton: Dysfunctional spect of religion also exists as religion can be a source of

conflicts in society. Eg- Shia-Sunni conflict etc

 Ludwig Feuerbach: Criiicizes functional role of religion by saying that it makes people

weak and dependent.

 Marxists: Religion justifies unjust social order and induce false consciousness among

the proletariat.

 Malinowski argued that Durkheim did not conduct any empoirical study. He only

formulated an armed chair theory.also he has been criticicised for assuming totemism

as the religion of the most primitive societies. He argued that the role of religion is to

reduce emotional stress among the Trobriand islanders and thus, the function of

religion may not necessarily be only to promote social solidarity.

 A.R Radcliffe Brown argued that a tribe may have different symbols and not

necessarily a single one as proposed by Durkheim.Also the tribe might be worshipping

a different symbol apart from the totem.

 Evans Pritchard Criticised the universality of the dichotomy of sacred and profane in

his study of Veddas of Sri Lanka.

 Alexander Goldenweiser argued that the religion of modern societies is complex and

the study of religion of primitive societies cannot be used to understand the modern

society.it is difficult to distinguish between sacred and profane in complex modern

societies. He hasalso been criticicised for assuming Arunta tribe as the most primitive

society and its religion as the most primitive one.

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