The great transformation: The Durkheimian sociology of religion from Émile Durkheim to Henri Hubert.

This article examines the transformation in Émile Durkheim's sociology of religion by comparing his early work (1886–1899), which emphasized religion as a form of social discipline grounded in obligatory beliefs and moral regulation, with Henri Hubert’s sociologie religieuse approach (1902–1914), which focused on religious phenomena as sacred dramas involving figurative representations and collective excitement. Hubert’s theory of sacred drama, highlighting ritual performances, sacred time, and aesthetic expression, influenced Durkheim’s later work, particularly *Les Formes Élémentaires de la Vie Religieuse*, where Durkheim incorporated these ideas to explain the creation of religious ideas and practices through ritual and collective effervescence. The article argues that this shift marks a significant theoretical transformation from viewing religion primarily as social discipline to understanding it as a dynamic, aesthetic, and ritualistic process, underscoring the collaborative influence of the Année Sociologique team on Durkheim’s mature sociology of religion.