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Religion and Social Structure in The Division of Labor
Author(s) -
Wallwork Ernest
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
american anthropologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1548-1433
pISSN - 0002-7294
DOI - 10.1525/aa.1984.86.1.02a00040
Subject(s) - division of labour , reinterpretation , sociocultural evolution , sociology , sociobiology , solidarity , division (mathematics) , epistemology , ethnography , anthropology , aesthetics , philosophy , law , political science , arithmetic , mathematics , politics
The article offers a thoroughgoing reinterpretation of The Division of Labor, focusing on the six‐stage theory of sociocultural change that lies in the background of Durkheim's well‐known contrast between the ideal types of mechanical and organic solidarity. Durkheim's characterization of each stage is described in terms of its structural‐functional differentiation and religious unity. The Division's evolutionary theory, which underlies much of Durkheim's mature work, is criticized for its dated ethnographic evidence, and contrasted with alternative evolutionary proposals, including that of sociobiology.