Hide this

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

Elementary Forms of Religious Life by Émile…
Loading...

Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912)

by Émile Durkheim

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
85919,491 (3.74)6

None.

Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1983853.html

I should stop readng the classic works on religion and culture, because I always end up disappointed. In this classic anthropological analysis from the first years of the twentieth century, Durkheim generalises from studies of the totem cults of Australia to conclude that pretty much all intellectual concepts, including scientific theories as well as notions of God and religion, can be examined as socially constructed phenomena. While sympathetic to the conclusion (having studied the history and philosophy of science in a past life) I was not terribly excited by the journey Durkheim takes to get there. His methodology straddles what today would be fairly clearly demarcated territory between philosophy and anthropology, and I found this mixture of concepts frustrating. More specifically, the Australian worshippers (particularly the women) are never given their own voice; we hear only what white anthropologists think of them. A pioneering work, perhaps, but I rather hope that things have moved on in the last century. ( )
  nwhyte | Aug 25, 2012 |
no reviews | add a review
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Series (with order)
Canonical title
Original title
Information from the Dutch Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to the English one.
Alternative titles
Original publication date
Information from the Dutch Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to the English one.
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Awards and honors
Epigraph
Dedication
First words
Quotations
Last words
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Publisher series
Book description
Haiku summary

Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0029079373, Paperback)

"Karen Fields has given us a splendid new translation of the greatest work of sociology ever written, one we will not be embarrassed to assign to our students. In addition she has written a brilliant and profound introduction. The publication of this translation is an occasion for general celebration, for a veritable 'collective effervescence.'

-- Robert N. Bellah Co-author of Habits of the Heart, and editor of Emile Durkheim on Morality and Society

"This superb new translation finally allows non-French speaking American readers fully to appreciate Durkheim's genius. It is a labor of love for which all scholars must be grateful."

--Lewis A. Coser

(retrieved from Amazon Sat, 05 Jan 2013 00:16:52 -0500)

(see all 5 descriptions)

No library descriptions found.

Quick Links

Swap Ebooks Audio
1 avail.
34 wanted
9 pay

Popular covers

Rating

Average: (3.74)
0.5
1 1
1.5
2 4
2.5
3 17
3.5
4 26
4.5 2
5 11

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

Help/FAQs | About | Privacy/Terms | Blog | Contact | LibraryThing.com | APIs | WikiThing | Common Knowledge | Legacy Libraries | 82,005,826 books!