Concerning sociology, the supporters of Durkheim were quick to point out that it was a collective psychology with the purpose of studying collective representation. His work quickly went beyond the boundaries of the sociology of religion to deal with the theory of knowledge, as can be seen from the essay written with Durkheim, titled "Quelques formes primitives de classification" (1903). Frequently comparative and backed up with detailed evidence, the research undertaken by Mauss was set out as part of a program that had as its subject the ritual expressions of religious life and as its purpose the development of a theory of the sacred. At the École Pratique des Hautes Études, where he succeeded L éon Marillier in 1901, Mauss was responsible for teaching the history of the religion of primitive peoples. In charge of the section on religious sociology, Mauss was one of its leading contributors. The essay appeared in L'Ann ée sociologique, which Durkheim had just founded in 1898. Marcel Mauss produced his first major work together with his friend and colleague Henri Hubert (1872 –1927), titled "Essai sur la nature et la fonction du sacrifice" (1899).
Once he became a professor, Mauss was involved in the cooperative movement and the Socialist Party and published numerous articles in L'Humanit é, of which he had been one of the founders. He worked with the Mouvement socialiste and he took part in founding the new Soci ét é de librairie et d' édition with Lucien Herr and Charles Andler. From his university days Mauss was also politically active, supporting Dreyfus and the socialists.
During his studies at the École Pratique des Hautes Études and a trip to Holland and England, he also gained a solid grounding in philology, the history of religions, and ethnology. After gaining his agr égation (teaching exam) in philosophy in 1895, he gave up the standard career path of secondary teaching, turning his attention instead to sociology of religion. Some would say that he was "in the shadow of Durkheim" when describing his scholarly output, produced in direct cooperation with him.īorn to a family of merchants and rabbis at Épinal in 1872, Mauss studied philosophy at Bordeaux under Durkheim. He is automatically linked with his uncle and teacher, Émile Durkheim (1858 –1917). MAUSS, MARCEL (1872 –1950), the father of French ethnography, has had a profound influence on human and social sciences and has left behind an incredibly rich intellectual legacy.
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