ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides an essential historical context. It chronicles the path of Emile Durkheim's early years to uncover why he suddenly became fixated on totemism and, then, to reconstruct the reasoning behind his sweeping generalizations on the origin of religion and society. For Durkheim's approach to religion, his use of classic evolutionary theory, and his sophisticated application of kinship theory reflect not just late nineteenth-century thought in France but are all contingent on a matrix of ideas adopted from earlier scholars in Europe, Australia, and the Americas. A systematic chronology is especially important because Durkheim rejected or modified some early ideas that are still in circulation today and because of the widely differing views on what Durkheim supposedly said, or did not say.
