Call for Papers: CJS Special Issue on
The Elementary Forms of Religious Life Centenary: Contemporary Engagements

Guest Editors:
Ronjon Paul Datta, Department of Sociology, The University of Alberta
Tara Milbrandt, Augustana Faculty, The University of Alberta

Since its pub­li­ca­tion in 1912, Emile Durkheim’s mag­num opus, The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (EFRL), has inspired vig­or­ous dis­cus­sion, reflec­tion, con­tro­versy and even scan­dal within soci­ol­ogy and allied dis­ci­plines (includ­ing reli­gious stud­ies, anthro­pol­ogy, phi­los­o­phy and mythol­ogy). Making the case for the social foun­da­tion of reli­gion and the con­sti­tu­tive and ener­vat­ing forces of col­lec­tive forms of life, this com­plex and com­pelling text con­tin­ues to stim­u­late research and open up new avenues for ques­tion­ing in all major fields within and beyond soci­ol­ogy. From con­cerns with epis­te­mol­ogy, sym­bol­iza­tion and rit­ual reaf­fir­ma­tions of social order, to the volatile, cre­ative and trans­for­ma­tive pow­ers of col­lec­tive life, Durkheim’s EFRL has demon­strated its endur­ing impor­tance. Read more