An extraordinary degree of exaltation: Durkheim, effervescence and Pentecostalism's defeat of secularisation

Jennings, M. (2015) An extraordinary degree of exaltation: Durkheim, effervescence and Pentecostalism's defeat of secularisation. Social Compass, 62 (1). pp. 61-75.

Abstract

Pentecostalism has ‘bucked the trend’ predicted by Émile Durkheim and others that religion would decline and disappear in a secular modern age. In searching for the clues as to why this happened, this paper outlines Durkheim’s thought on the phenomenon that sparks religious life – effervescence – and his belief that in the secular future societies would make use of this phenomenon to create instances of ‘secular sacralisation’. Following these ideas, the author traces the development of Pentecostalism, a religious phenomenon that has harnessed the power of effervescence and grown explosively in the ‘secular’ age. Thus, Pentecostalism has appropriated (in part) the role that Durkheim believed society itself would have to fill in a future, secular age, and has reinforced the link between effervescent experience and a transcendent divine entity.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Murdoch Affiliation(s):	School of Arts
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Copyright:	© 2015 The Author(s)
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/25820

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