Durkheim und die Ethnologie

Schlaglichter auf ein schwieriges Verhältnis

Abstract

Durkheim's work constitutes a shared heritage for anthropologists and sociologists. In the context of the increasing interest in his legacy, this essay highlights some aspects of his thinking that are of current relevance in social and cultural anthropology. Although Durkheim contributed substantially to the development of anthropology in France, it is difficult to claim that he was an anthropologist, because the discipline did not exist as such at the time he was writing. A proper evaluation of his contribution to anthropology is further challenged by the fact that his work on religion was exposed to intense criticism, in particular from British social anthropologists. Instead of a futile defense against the arguments of this criticism, I suggest a more generalising approach to some of Durkheim's core concepts, in particular to his concept of culture. Although Durkheim was not quite explicit about this term, the profoundly anthropological character of his understanding of 'culture' is obvious. In his perspective on culture, and, more specifically, in his conviction that culture is something 'made by people' and as such is a universal for mankind, he can be considered a precursor of constructivist trends in anthropology.