Malinowski

• main function of religion was to help individuals and society deal with emotional stresses such as birth, puberty, marriage and death
• religion deals with the problem of death through both belief (in the afterlife) and ritual (funerals)
• religion and control: helps people deal with events which cannot be fully controlled or predicted
• Trobiand islanders: in lagoon fishing is a day to day relaxed affair and there were no religious ceremonies conducted. Ocean fishing however, was a much more dangerous affair so the islanders would take part in a religious ritual
• analysis of Durkheim and Malinowski: one of religions key roles way to promote social solidarity, but Malinowski did not see religion as reflecting society as a whole or as a worship of society, he argued that religion has a more specific function: reinforce solidarity in times of emotional stress that threaten to undermine social solidarity.