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Home/Anthropology/Mains PYQ/2015/Paper I/Anthropology of Religion
UPSC MainsAnthropology Optional Paper I 2015 15 Marks Model Answer Available

Sacred and Profane in Durkheim’s Theory of Religion — 2015 Paper I

Question · 2015 · Paper I · 15 Marks

How do you relate the concepts of 'Sacred' and 'Profane' in Durkheim's theory of religion with a focus on the role of totem ?

Model Answer

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Approach

  • Demand of Question: Explain Durkheim’s sacred–profane distinction and demonstrate how the totem connects religion with clan solidarity and collective consciousness.
  • Structuring the Response: Define sacred and profane, explain Australian totemism and collective effervescence, then establish why worship of the totem is ultimately worship of society.
  • Key Dimensions to Cover: Durkheim, Elementary Forms, sacred/profane, Arunta, totem, collective representations, collective effervescence and social solidarity.

Model Answer

Introduction: In The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912), Émile Durkheim explained religion primarily as a social phenomenon. Its fundamental characteristic is the division of the world into two opposed categories—Sacred and Profane.

Sacred and Profane

Sacred things are:

  • set apart;
  • protected by prohibitions;
  • treated with reverence;
  • surrounded by ritual.

Profane refers to the ordinary sphere of everyday life.

Thus:

Sacred ≠ Merely supernatural
Sacred = Socially set apart and collectively revered

Religion consists of beliefs and practices relating to sacred things which unite believers into a moral community or Church.

Totemism as the elementary form

Durkheim based much of his analysis on Australian Aboriginal totemism, particularly ethnographic material relating to the Arunta/Aranda.

A totem may be an:

  • animal;
  • plant;
  • natural object

which serves as the emblem of a clan.

The totem is simultaneously:

  1. the symbol of a sacred being;
  2. the emblem of the clan.

Therefore:

Totem = Symbol of divinity + Symbol of society

Why is the totem sacred?

The sacredness of the totem does not arise simply from the physical animal or plant itself.

During collective rituals, members experience intense emotional energy, which Durkheim called collective effervescence.

Thus:

Collective gathering → Emotional excitement → Sacred force → Totemic symbolism

Individuals experience a power greater than themselves and interpret it religiously.

For Durkheim, that power is actually the moral force of society.

Society worshipping itself

The crucial argument is:

Clan → Collective power → Totem → Sacred representation of clan

Hence, when clan members worship the totem, they are symbolically worshipping their own society.

Religion therefore expresses and reinforces the collective consciousness.

Ritual and solidarity

Totemic rituals periodically recreate:

  • common beliefs;
  • group identity;
  • moral obligations;
  • social solidarity.

Sacred symbols therefore perform an integrative function.

Relationship between sacred and profane

The two realms remain separate through:

  • taboos;
  • ritual restrictions;
  • prescribed conduct.

Ritual allows controlled movement from ordinary profane existence into sacred collective experience.

Critical assessment

Durkheim’s theory was influential because it demonstrated the social foundation of religion, but it has been criticized for:

  • excessive dependence on secondary Australian data;
  • treating totemism as an elementary universal form;
  • reducing religious experience largely to social solidarity;
  • underestimating individual spirituality, conflict and power.

Conclusion

For Durkheim, the sacred–profane distinction constitutes the foundation of religious life, while the totem materializes the collective identity of the clan. Its sacredness derives from society itself; therefore totemic worship is ultimately the symbolic reaffirmation of social solidarity and collective consciousness.

2026 Myth as oral literature. 2026 How do religious beliefs help people to devise cultural mechanisms to adapt to their environment? Discuss in detail with appropriate examples. 2025 Critically examine James Frazer's theory of evolutionism. Elucidate the place of religion in modernity. 2023 How did Clifford Geertz look at religion ? Differentiate between anthropological and psychological approaches to the study of religion.

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UPSC Anthropology Optional 2015 — Paper I

28 questions

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10 Marks150 words
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10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper I > 6. Anthropological Theories > Historical Particularism (Boas)
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1(d) Horticulture.

10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper I > 3. Economic Organization > Modes of subsistence > Horticulture
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10 Marks150 words
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10 Marks150 words
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10 Marks150 words
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10 Marks150 words
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1(b) Society and Culture.

10 Marks150 words
Syllabus: Paper I > 2.2 The Nature of Society > Society and culture
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