Efervescência, dinamogenia e a ontogênese social do sagrado

Abstract

The main theme of the present paper is the idea of "sacred" as presented by Émile Durkheim on several occasions, most particularly as the central theme of his book, The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. It is an idea that is quite hard to define, but fundamental in explaining not only religion but also morality, understood by the author as one of the most crucial elements of social life. What is intended here is an explanation of how Durkheim conceived of the genesis and the development of this phenomenon, sustaining the thesis that this explanation requires understanding what is effervescence and, therefore, dynamogenics. In understanding the full meaning of these concepts, we can better comprehend what is the sacred and its meaning as a social phenomenon.