When Lang died in 1912 he left among his papers a completed manuscript of his
last book entitled Totemism, which represents the fullest account of his views on
topics which were central to anthropological debate at the turn of the century,
viz, the nature and origin of the marriage laws of the Australian aboriginals and
the nature and origin of such among their ideas an practices as may be styled
³religious.²
In Lang¹s lifetime, his views on these matters were highly respected and
received attention from some of the greatest names in social anthropology. Today
he is hardly ever mentioned by social anthropologists, and appears to have been
almost entirely forgotten. The discovery of his book on totemism, which has not
been published, makes an occasion to revive his reputation.
The present introductory essay, which forms an extended and integrated
commentary on the text of Totemism, is designed to show that Lang¹s thought
has a direct and profound relevance to present anthropological concerns; it
provides, also, a context for the appreciation of Totemism.
In chapter 2 of this essay there is a fairly short biographical sketch of
Lang¹s life and work over a wide spectrum of subjects. Reliance is placed
mostly on what he himself said and wrote.
Chapter 3 provides a brief survey of the literature on totemism from 1791 to
1912, which is essential to a general understanding of the theoretical atmosphere
in which Lang was writing his anthropology.
In the succeeding chapters we take up the arguments of Totemism and assess
both the points Lang makes against Frazer and other authors and the cogency of
his own views on descent, alliance, and so forth.
In chapter 6 we deal with Lang¹s theory of the origins of totemism and
exogamy and, through a process of interpretation and recasting his historical
idiom in formal terms, we show that (1) in the way he deals with social
facts; (2) in his evolutionary scheme; and
(3) in his conclusions as to the origins
of totemism and exogamy, Lang¹s thought is suggestive, and directly pertinent
to work being done in anthropology today.
Chapter 7 reviews the literature on totemism from 1912 to 1962, and
Lévi-Strauss¹s Le Totémisme aujord¹hui. Our
conclusion is that, in spite of Lévi-Strauss¹s claim to have
dissolved the problem of totemism, it remains essentially problematic today.
The final chapter of this essay addresses that problem, with the help of
Lang¹s thought of the matter, and it is concluded that totemism is one
aspect of man¹s imagination and its spontaneous fascination with animals and
plants. The accompanying version of Totemism, has been prepared from
Lang¹s own draft, which was kindly lent by the Folklore Society. The
manuscript was in
large part typed, but much of it was in Lang¹s own hand. No changes have
been made in the text, except that one or two details of reference have been
corrected. Three words alone could not be deciphered in the text, and they are
marked by brackets. A bibliography has been compiled and appears after the
text. The portrait photograph of Andrew Lang, which forms the frontispiece to
this essay, was taken at Selkirk, circa 1895 by Messrs. E.R. Richards.
Andrew Duff-Cooper
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