How religion shapes collective life

The anthropology of religion studies religion in relation to other social institutions and compares religious beliefs and practices across cultures. These lessons answer how religion can act as a social force, helping you understand its role in shaping collective life. They consider how religious practices and responsibilities connect people and society.

2 articles, 1 video, 1 book · about 38 min of reading and viewing

The reading path

1. Read
   the anthropology of religion · Wikipedia · 14 min read

   Totem is an object that may be an animal or a wooden cross. Durkheim (1858-1917) viewed religion as a collective societal force, with religious forces embodied in the totem. A major problem in the anthropology of religion is defining religion itself. Anthony F. C. Wallace proposes four synthetic categories, each subsequent category subsuming the previous, though they do not necessarily encompass all religions.

2. Read
   

   Religion in the Ancient World: Order and the Spiritual Experience · World History Encyclopedia · 23 min read

   Mesopotamian city dwellers were responsible for providing the gods with what they needed to run the world, as co-workers in holding back chaos. The claim of some historians that Mesopotamians were slaves to their gods is untenable, because people understood their position as co-workers.

3. Watch
   

   Andrew Cohen on the Danger of Organized Religion | Big Think · YouTube · 1 min watch

   Maria Konnikova says humans have a deep desire for meaning and are curious about cause and effect, sometimes dropping objects as infants to learn that they fall. The video, titled "Andrew Cohen on the Danger of Organized Religion," also asks, "What is the difference between a cult and a religion? Perhaps not much."

4. Book
   

   The Elementary Forms of Religious Life · Bookshop.org

   The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, by French sociologist Émile Durkheim, analyzes religion as a social phenomenon. In his study of totemic societies in Australia, he concluded that the animal or plant each clan worshipped as a sacred power was, in fact, the society itself.

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