Durkheim's Totemism

In the second book of Emile Durkheim’s “The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life,” Durkheim delves into how totemism developed and the implications of its development. To begin, Durkheim describes the clans within the Australian tribes which are at the center of his studies as being united by a special bond of kinship. Each clan has a totem which unites it into a single family. Totems may be animal (or part of an animal), vegetable, or infrequently an inanimate object. The totem serves multiple functions. It serves as a badge to identify members of the group, it inspires religious sentiment, the image of the totem is ubiquitous within the clan. Totems are of particular importance for communal ceremonies. Objects may be engraved with the …show more content…
Society and god are dependable overseers of morality and sources of strength. Individuals in a group setting are emboldened in a manner comparable to that of religious stirrings. A similar effect on a larger scale, Durkheim posits, is responsible for the Crusades and other major religious based outbursts. It is the great stirring among the individuals in a group setting, that Durkheim calls effervescence, which leads to the distinction between sacred and profane. This is also how the primitive peoples came to relate the symbol of the clan, the totem, with the power they felt while gathered …show more content…
For example, when addressing what it is that makes churinga sacred, Durkheim points out Spencer and Gillen’s, and Strehlow’s, logically inept position which basically restates the cause in a different manner to explain the effect. Later in the text, Durkheim references Spencer in Gillen’s work several times, relying on it to explain the function and behavior of souls. This demonstrates how Durkheim is able to pull from others’ work useful information while disregarding elements that are unsound. He sets an example that his readers should follow while taking in his