9 Ritual and symbolism
E. Durkheim, Les formes élémentaires de la vie religieuse, 1912
http://classiques.uqac.ca/classiques/Durkheim_emile/formes_vie_religieuse/formes_vie_religieuse.html
ENGLISH translation (1995):
http://home.ku.edu.tr/~mbaker/CSHS503/DurkheimReligiousLife.pdf
ITALIAN translation, please check in the University Library:
http://www.cbt.trentinocultura.net/LVbin//LibriVision/lv_view_records.html
(I suggest the new translation by Massimo Rosati, 2005)
BOOK II, Chapter 7: "Origins of these beliefs (Conclusion): Origin of the notion of totemic principle, or mana" (p. 207-241)
BOOK III, Chapter III: "The positive cult (Continuation): Mimetic rites and the principle of causality" (p. 355-373)
Schutz A. "Symbols, reality and society", in Symbols and Society, L. Bryson, L. Finkelstein, H. Hoagland e R. McIver (eds.), New York, Harper, 1955, pp. 135-204 (then in A. Schutz, Collected Papers, Den Haag : Nijhoff, 1962-1966).
Symbol
Emile Durkheim, Religious life
RispondiEliminaBook III, Chapter 3: Mimetic Rites and the Principle of Causality
In the first part of the chapter Durkheim presents different tribal rituals. He points out the fact that besides of living beings - which are not solely the only objects of the rites –the forces of nature (rain, clouds, sun) could be also central elements. The author highlights one example among the „Urabunna” tribe where the role of the rain stands in a central position. The head of the clan weares a white down that represents the white clouds on the sky, and holds a lance in his hand. While he is dancing he tries to shake off the down attached to his body, to represent the downpour. In short the head of the clan imitates the most characteristic phenomena of raining.
According to Durkheim one possible solution behind this behavior could be „the idea of the image that is associated in the mind with the idea of a model”, which means by imitating a natural phenomena or the typical characteristics of mammals, the members of the rite are portraying a picture, a picture which is supposed to mean the reality. The author highlights another example among the northwest tribes of Australia. When kangaroos are scarce in the northwest territories, the head of the clan visit a sacred stone (called tarlow), that represents the totem of the kangaroo. Afterwards the members of the rite jumping around the tarlow ( imitating the kangaroos) and demonstrates their hunting weapons. This example is also linked to „the idea of an image is associated in the mind with the idea of a model” phenomena.
From my perspective the most important observation of Durkheim within the third chapter of Book III is the importance of faith. According to him, faith is above all religions. „Faith is responsible to give the rites authority in the eyes of the believer”. From that point does not really matter if the believer is an aboriginal, christian or buddhist. Faith is a common attribution among every human being, and faith is responsible to create the cohesion of the community. The australian aboriginal believes in the efficiency of the mimetic rites he practices even if the rite is followed by failure, and the christian believer is not going to blame God, because of one unanswered pray. The efficacy of the ritual ceremonies has two main principles. On the one hand there is the importance of faith, on the other hand ceremonies are never implemented by a single individual. Ceremonies (rites) are always practiced by a group of people, therefore taking part in the rite means to be a member of the group, sharing the same experiences and feel the same vibes among the participants.
BOOK II, Chapter 7: "Origins of these beliefs (Conclusion): Origin of the notion of totemic principle, or mana"
RispondiEliminaEmile Durkheim in his work "The Elementary Les Formes de la vie religieuse", studies the topic of religion, trying to find the original source of the first religious thought. He identified in totemism the first manifestation of religiosity. But what is the totem?
According with Durkheim, the totem is a symbol. It “expresses and symbolizes two different kinds of thing. From one point of view, it is the outward and visible form of what I have called the totemic principle or god; and from another, it is also the symbol of a particular society that is called the clan.” (page 208).
So we can see that the totem is the symbol of both the god and the society.
Studying Australian clan Durkheim develops the belief that there are two worlds both within us and within nature itself: the sacred and the profane. The elevate state that characterizes a member of the clan when he incurs in a sacred experience is due to the gathering of the clan itself. The totem is the flag of the clan. Symbols are all around the clan member and he can see it (that are the images carved into totem), setting his social feelings confused in concrete objects.
“Without symbols, moreover, social feelings could have only an unstable experience.” (page 232)
Durkheim finds fundamental for totemism that the people of the clan and the various beings whose form of totemic symbol represent, are held to be made of the same essence. Once faith has been accepted, the different kingdoms were connected.
Durkheim highlighted a thought “that individual never tend to view society pressure or their pre defined consents and values as abstract but through history and rituals it was more obvious to observe the power of society over individual. In fact that one of the reason most of what individuals have and use now is already borrowed and build upon from civilization before this one, which indeed direct individuals to feel sense of relation to how they define certain guidelines and frames to see, to feel, and to think about themselves and the world around them.
RispondiEliminaMoreover, this power of society can be viewed through number of outlets starting from totem that acted as symbol of great power, when it represented god in a visible for or when it was meant as symbol of society (cultural group) classified as clan as Durkheim defines it. However, it is more into the act that societies actually act as object that pushes individual into respecting certain figure. Meaning that, respect is defined by the opinion of the people that build a respectable figure in a sense.
Another point that was illustrated by explaining rituals in Australian tribes focused on the power and energy that is stimulated by collaborative action in form of action oriented steps for certain occasions or physical movement, or vocal words. This energy uplift provided by group to individual can be reflected in how people tent to act sometimes with strong motion such as in cases of French revolution and when people believe they are defending their religion. This uplift is not only provided on large scales as mentioned previously but in fact could be in a simple uplift of personal communication.