Durkheim’s totemic principle, shamanism and Southern African San religions

Summary

This text-based, qualitative study reappraises Emile Durkheim’s totemic principle as an origin of religion, critiquing his reduction of religion to society and dismissal of individual psychological experience. Using speech act theory, cognitive neuroscience, and southern African ethnography, particularly David Lewis-Williams’ theory of shamanism, it argues that shamanism—with its trance dance, potency, and altered states of consciousness—is a more plausible origin than totemism. Durkheim’s contribution to demystifying religion and social constructionism is acknowledged, but his overemphasis on collective affect and neglect of individual altered states are criticized.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The study reappraised Emile Durkheim’s totemic principle in relation to the origins of religion and culture, using, amongst others, speech act theory and recent southern African epistemologies, especially David Lewis-Williams’ theory of shamanism, potency and altered states of consciousness. The study was text-based, qualitative and interpretive, and used key texts from anthropology, archaeology, history of religion, sociology and philosophy. It outlined Durkheim’s theory of the totemic principle and critiqued it, using performativity, cognitive neuroscience and southern African ethnography. Durkheim’s sociological reduction of God and religion to society and his dismissal of individual psychological experience were criticised. Lewis-Williams’ shamanism, both as a general theory and with particular reference to the San, was explored as an alternative to Durkheim’s totemism, animals playing a central but different function in each system. Although his understanding of performativity and sociopolitical relations in religion was inchoate, Durkheim helped demystify religion and establish social constructionism. He overestimated collective affect and sentiments and underestimated the role played by individual altered states of consciousness in the origin of religion. Contribution: The study critically evaluates Durkheim’s reduction of religion to society using current concepts of performativity, Matthias Guenther’s New Animism and David Lewis-Williams’ revised shamanism, particularly its ideas of trance dance, potency and altered states of consciousness, and posits shamanism rather than totemism as the probable origin of religion.

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