Durkheim on MANA - The Original "Floating Signifier" // 179
From PlasticPills Critical Theory & Philosophy by Plasticpills
April 6, 2026 · 54 min
About this episode
The episode explores Emile Durkheim's concept of MANA as a floating signifier in the context of his work on religious life.
Find All Episodes ad-free at https://www.patreon.com/c/plasticpills. We read Durkheim's Elementary forms of Religious Life (https://amzn.to/4c1ubkB) and try to get a hold on a primordial concept, what for Claude Levi-Strauss exemplifies the floating signifier: it's MANA (originally recorded 08/24).
People in this episode
Host: Plasticpills
Topics covered
- Durkheim
- floating signifier
- MANA
- religion
- philosophy
- critical theory
Keywords
- Durkheim
- MANA
- floating signifier
- religion
- philosophy
- Levi-Strauss
- critical theory
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Elementary forms of Religious Life
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