Durkheim, Émile

Durkheim, Émile (1858–1917) a French thinker who helped invent the study of sociology He has had an immense impact on the study of religions. Durkheim's early writings contributed some terms that scholars have used to study religions. An example is the term "anomie." It refers to the social and moral disorder that arises when traditional social forms break down. But Durkheim's most important book for the study of religions appeared later: The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life (1912). The Elementary Forms starts with the idea that TOTEMISM and TABOO in Australia are the most basic forms of religion. Although this idea is no longer accepted, other ideas in Durkheim's system have proven very useful. Durkheim proposed that religion serves to bind individuals to society. It does so, he says, because religious symbols, such as totems and gods, along with religious rules objectify and represent society and its values. Therefore, religious RITUALS actually celebrate human society.