How Rituals and Practices Can Influence Society in Émile Durkheim's View; Example of Intercultural Communities from Romanian Society

Abstract

Émile Durkheim, one of the foundational thinkers of sociology, saw religion—not simply as belief—but as a matrix of rituals, practices, and sacred symbols which perform crucial social functions. In particular, rituals sustain collective consciousness, reinforce moral norms, create social cohesion, and bridge individual existence with the social order. This article examines how rituals and religious practices influence society from Durkheim's perspective, especially in contemporary, plural, intercultural settings. It then applies those ideas to examples drawn from intercultural or multiethnic communities in Romania (especially Hungarian and Turkish-Tartar minorities) to illustrate how rituals function in maintaining solidarity, identity, negotiation of difference, and the challenges that arise. Finally, the article considers what these insights suggest for policy, education, and future research in multiethnic societies.