Du Yue: The Sacred Individual From Durkheim to Goffman
The Sacred Individual From Durkheim to Goffman
Sociological Studies, 2022 Issue 1
[Abstract]
The proposition that "the individual is sacred" is the end point of Émile Durkheim's theoretical journey, and Erving Goffman's theoretical cornerstone, and is therefore a crucial link between classical and modern sociological theories. This paper attempts to re-examine one important yet unsolved question: In what sense did Goffman inherit and change Durkheim's proposition of the sacred individual? This paper delves into Durkheim's theoretical inquiries beneath the proposition of the sacred individual, and reveals his reflections on the crisis when individual is endowed with sacredness. The paper argues that Goffman inherits and pushes forward Durkheim's thoughts on the crisis of the sacred individual. Drawing on theoretical insights from Marcel Mauss and Georg Simmel, he offers a solution by exploring the new possibilities of the sacred individual's self.
