A Durkheimian Theory Against Empire: Central Australian Festivals and the Making of the Modern World

It has long been assumed that Durkheimian sociology helped create a sharp distinction between traditional and modern societies, rooted in a Eurocentric bias that treats the latter as a break with the former. However, a close examination of Durkheim’s work may challenge this assumption. Through an in-depth analysis of Durkheim’s posthumously published lectures alongside Les Formes Élémentaires de la Vie Religieuse , this article shows how Durkheim applied the model he developed for studying Aboriginal Australians to a counter-imperial reevaluation of European history. In examining Durkheim’s writings on the genesis of private property in Ancient Rome, the Crusades in the Middle Ages, the French Revolution, and the role of mythological truths in the Modern Era, the article advances a Durkheimian theory against empire, an approach that examines modern society through a theoretical lens drawn from studying Indigenous societies.