Functionalist views

Durkheim- totemism

a form of religion among Australian Aboriginal societies.

a clan would worship this sacred totem which was usually an animal, plant or natural object that was connected to ancestors and the clans lineage.

the totem is treated with deep respect i.e. surrounded by taboos, appears in rituals art and ceremonies

Durkheim studied totemism as he believed it represented the most simple form of religion

Durkheims conclusion of totemism

when people worship the totem they are really worshipping society itself

this is because the totem represents the clan and since the clan is the source of collective identity and morals and rules, the sacred power attritibuted to the totem is actually the collective power of society

thus religious symbols are symbolic representations of social reality

Collective effervescence

intense shared emotional energy generated during rituals. this emotional force is protected onto sacred symbols. people interpret this powerful experience as contact with the sacred but Durkheim argued it is the emotional energy of the group itself.

Fuction for the individual according to Durkheim

reminded of the power of society and their utter dependence on it, their duties and obligations to it.

strong sense of identity and belonging

function for society according to Durkheim

social solidarity- collective effervescence

moral regulation- the rules values expectations commitment. gives rules a sacred authority making them harder to challenge

criticisms of durkheim

over reliance on limited ethnographic primary data

reducing religion and the sacred to social functions

underestimating individual belief and personal spirituality

under estimating the dysfunctional aspects of religion