Sociology of Religion: Emile Durkheim and the Sacred-Profane Binary

This flashcard set covers the introductory materials on the sociology of religion, primarily focusing on Emile Durkheim's theories of the sacred and profane, social cohesion, and modern case studies of sacred spaces.

Midterm Exam Format

The exam consists of $10$ multiple choice questions and requires students to answer $5$ short essay questions chosen from $7$ options.

Positivism

The belief that human behavior and social institutions are governed by scientific laws that can be proven, similar to the laws of physics.

Emile Durkheim

A classical French sociologist ($1858 \rightarrow 1917$) often credited as the founder of sociology who sought to develop a general theory of religion.

Functionalist Theory of Religion

The perspective that religions, despite their varieties, all function to produce social cohesion and social belonging.

Social Cohesion

The 'social glue' that holds a group together by ensuring individuals internalize common norms and rules.

Sacred

Things that are set apart and forbidden, treated as special or different from the ordinary through collective group decisions.

Profane

That which is ordinary, non-special, or treated as the mundane everyday stuff of life.

Binary Distinction

Durkheim's rule that something is either 100 \text{%} sacred or 100 \text{%} profane; they cannot exist on a continuum or be both at the same time.

Taboo

A double-meaning concept in which something is prohibited either because it is a forbidden bad act or because it is too sacred to be touched.

Rights (Rituals)

Sets of scripted things people do to produce the sacred, such as kneeling, standing, or consecrating objects.

Collective Effervescence

A socially produced experience where a group gets excited together (e.g., a pep rally), bonding them as members of a group.

Anomie

A term for the feeling of loneliness, anonymity, or disconnection from neighbors often experienced in modern society.

Institutional Differentiation

The process by which modern society breaks up into complex bureaucratic forms and separate social rules (e.g., work, home, retail).

Magic (vs. Religion)

Durkheim distinguishes magic by its lack of a moral community; the magician has a 'clientele' rather than a church.

Church (Durkheimian definition)

A single moral community of all those who adhere to a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things.

Implicit Religion

Activities that are not obviously religious but have the qualities of religion, such as sports like baseball or fitness groups like CrossFit.

Greenwood Cemetery Case Study

A Brooklyn cemetery that functions as a park and historical site, using wine tastings and birdwatching to invite social participation.

Evergreen Cemetery Case Study

A Brooklyn cemetery that maintains its sacred status by banning photography and public entertainment to preserve privacy and intimacy.

Ossuary

A practical burial method where bodies are allowed to rot away and the bones are luego placed in a collective pile to save space.