Citation

Chriss JJ. Sociol. Spectr. 1993; 13(2): 251-275.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993, Mid-South Sociological Association, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/02732173.1993.9982028

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide a systematic analysis of the place of Durkheim's "cult of the individual" in Erving Goffman's sociology.1I have reviewed the most pertinent aspects of Durkheim's sociology of religion. This article discusses and/or analyzes the development of the cult of the individual primarily within the context of Durkheim's (1951) monograph on suicide; Durkheim's notions of sacred, profane, and ritual; Goffman's two-pronged intellectual heritage; and Goffman's "Communication Conduct in an Island Community" (1953) with respect to several key Durkheimian concepts. Also discussed are several important secondary analyses--primarily those of Jurgen Habermas and Stanford Lyman--which help to further delineate the conditions of the Durkheim-Goffman link. The final section applies Goffman's sociology to the case of Evangelicalism and "political civility." © 1993 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Language: en