Primitive Classification

Emile Durkheim Marcel Mauss

ISBN 10: 041556283X / ISBN 13: 9780415562836

Published by Taylor & Francis Group, 2009

About this Item

pp. 102.

Seller Inventory # 263883483

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Primitive Classification
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 041556283X
• ISBN 13: 9780415562836
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

In this influential work, first published in English in 1963, Durkheim and Mauss claim that the individual mind is capable of classification and they seek the origin of the ‘classificatory function’ in society. On the basis of an intensive examination of forms and principles of symbolic classification reported from the Australian aborigines, the Zuñi and traditional China, they try to establish a formal correspondence between social and symbolic classification. From this they argue that the mode of classification is determined by the form of society and that the notions of space, time, hierarchy, number, class and other such cognitive categories are products of society.

Dr Needham’s introduction assesses the validity of Durkhiem and Mauss’s argument, traces its continued influence in various disciplines, and indicates its analytical value for future researches in social anthropology.

About the Author

Emile Durkheim, Marcel Mauss