ABSTRACT
The incidence, intensity and scope of collective effervescence varies according to the relationships and activities characteristic of social groups (Collins 1988). Furthermore, the effects of collective effervescence are, since they are rooted in emotion, characterized by a certain ephemerality and must be recharged if they are to have enduring social significance. Durkheim's view of modernity, however, is characterized by a 'devitalization' of society arising from a neglect of its effervescent basis (Nisbet 1993 [1966]: 300). This is reflected in Durkheim's analysis of the division of labour which suggests a weakening of collective sentiments leading to a proliferation of anomie and suicide (Durkheim 1984 [1893]: 294), and in the spread of contractual relationships within modernity; a phenomenon with only a contingent connection with morality (Durkheim 1984 [1893]: 302).
