神圣性与制度化:涂尔干教育史研究的文本再解读

The Institutionalization of the Sacredness ： A Rereading of the Evolution of Educational Thought

In the second half of the twentieth century， the western sociological world had witnessed the battles between the “cultural camp” and the “structural ca_mp’’， and the decoupling of the discussion on ethics and institutions. The current study aims to reexamine Durkheim’s concept of “sacredness’’，with which Durkheim once developed a subtle discussion of the intertwining relationship between institutions and ethics. In their effort to reconfirm the legitimacy of cultural studies， the scholars in the cultural camp rediscovered the discussion of “the sacrcdness” as an autonomous cultural phenomenon in The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. However， the equally important discussion of “the sacredness” in another text，The Evolution of Educational Thought， is largely ignored for the same reason. By scrutinizing and comparing the concept of “contagiousness” and the discussions of the Revolution in both texts» the article argues that the The Evolution of Educational Thought offers a different understanding of the concept of “ sacredness’’： in The Elementary Forms of Religious Life，the “sacredness’’ is described as contingent and eruptive，as collective effervescence independent of any institutional settings* whereas in The Evolution of Educational Thought， the “sacredness’’ is achieved when supported by and channeled through profane institution， stabilized and institutionalized; it even performs the moral functions of restraining the passions of collective effervescence. Hopefully， the rediscovery of Durkheim's discussion of the intertwining relationship between institutions and ethics in The Evolution of Educational Thought will help us pick up the hidden clues long-buried in the intellectual battlefield， and will provide further insights to empirical studies on institutions.