Collective effervescence

[1] Émile Durkheim's theory of religion, as presented in his 1912 volume Elementary Forms of Religious Life, is rooted in the concept of collective effervescence.

Durkheim argues that the universal religious dichotomy of profane and sacred results from the lives of these tribe members: most of their life is spent performing menial tasks such as hunting and gathering.

However, during the rare occasions when the entire tribe comes together, a sense of heightened energy and unity, "collective effervescence," emerges.

This intense communal experience transforms certain physical objects or individuals into sacred symbols, as the energy of the gathering is projected onto them.

The force is thus associated with the totem which is the symbol of the clan, mentioned by Durkheim in his study of "elementary forms" of religion in Aboriginal societies.