Durkheimian anthropology in Nanook of the North

Main points

• Nanook of the north is a reflection of Durkheimian anthropology with its portrayal of collective life, ritual, the sacred and profane, and the relationship between the individual and society

• The motif of Inuit survival aligns with Durkheim’s frameworks of functionalism and social solidarity, even if modern anthropology views the film as overly staged and scripted

Mechanical solidarity and collective conscience

• Definition of mechanical solidarity: A shared collective consciousness where individuals think, feel, and act alike because they share identical social experiences and economic roles

• In his book ‘The Division of Labour‘, Durkheim argued that mechanical solidarity holds small scale, traditional societies together and enables their continuity

• In Nanook of the North, group survival is emphasized over individual achievement: Tasks like building an igloo, hunting marine mammals, and trading at the white man’s outpost are framed as communal endeavors

• The family and clan units operate as cohesive wholes, in which adherence to traditional customs and collective social norms ensures the group’s physical continuity

The sacred, profane, and ritual

• In his book ‘The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life‘ Durkheim defined religion as a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things that unite people into a single moral community (e.g. the moral collective of the church). He argued that rituals reinforce social bonds and reaffirm shared values

• Nanook of the north demonstrates that the communal walrus and seal hunts are examples of collective ritual and dependency

• Moral obligation and group member interdependence are fostered through the cooperative effort required to obtain food

• Durkheim’s view of sacred rituals is reflected in how Inuit people in the film master their environment, pass their skills on to their cohabitants, and bind the community together through shared reverence for the rules that govern their survival in the unforgiving Arctic landscape

Social function and environmental integration

• Durkheim's structural-functionalism posits that every custom, institution, or social practice plays a specific role in maintaining the stability and equilibrium of the whole society

• Nomadic patterns as well as traditional Inuit technologies like the kayak, harpoon, and snow knife directly function to maintain social order

• Flaherty’s direction helps to establish these cultural elements as part of an integrated system whose social structure, economy, and environmental adaptation reinforce each other