Between social facts and religious phenomena: on the definition and the nature of social in Durkheim and Mauss

• Grant number: 12/11936-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2012
• End date: July 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Sociology - Fundamentals of Sociology
• Principal Investigator: Alexandre Braga Massella
• Grantee: Romulo Lelis Lima
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The constitution project of sociology as a scientific discipline had in Emile Durkheim and Marcel MaussOutros Documentos key articulators. In these authors, we have found a defense of science as a collective and cooperative work, which requires the mapping of the territory of Sociology and the definition of a malleable and general framework of presuppositions and concepts to give a determined orientation to the research. However, although recognizing the importance of both Durkheim and Mauss alone for the social sciences, the studies in social theory and methodology do not give due attention to the influence that these authors have exerted on one another during the foundation and development of Durkheimian sociology. We do not know much about the influence of Mauss in Durkheim and the possible contributions that would result from this collaboration. Accordingly, we will investigate the possible collaboration between Durkheim and Mauss on two themes: I) the definition of social facts in the consolidation period of the group's project, and II) the study of religious phenomena. The aim of this project is to reconstruct and explain the collaboration between Durkheim and Mauss on the problems of definition and nature of social phenomena in selected topics in order to clarify how the contact between them produced a rich and integrated vision of sociological knowledge.(AU)