The Elementary Forms of Religious Life

Renting vs. Buying This Textbook

Renting is usually cheapest if you only need the book for one term: you return it with a free prepaid label when the term ends. Buying used can beat renting when the sell-back price is high, so compare the sell-back price with the rental price before you decide. An eTextbook arrives instantly but usually expires. Rentals and used copies rarely include working access codes.

Always match the ISBN on your syllabus (9780029079362) before you order; different editions have different ISBNs.

About This Book

"Emile Durkheim (1858-1917), founder of the French school of sociology, produced an astonishing array of books and articles. He wrote both empirical studies and abstract treatises, most famously in his books on suicide and on the division of labor. But his last and greatest book, on a topic of utmost importance, is far less well known in the English-speaking world. Les formes élémentaires de la vie religieuse, published in 1912, received a hasty translation in 1915 that has remained, until now, the only English version available. In this now-classic work, Durkheim analyzes religion into its most fundamental beliefs and rites, including: sacredness, the soul, spirits, and gods; asceticism, sacrifice, communion, and mourning. Through an examination of the world these elements constitute, he is able to argue that religion originates in social life and in the most fundamental capacities of…