The Imagined, The Imaginary and The Symbolic - Maurice Godelier - Heretik Yayıncılık

There is no doubt that what is imagined in myths and religions is never considered by believers as mere imagination; on the contrary, it is sometimes perceived as more real than the reality experienced in daily life. If this is the case, what is this imaginary, which is more real than the real? And of course, in this situation, what is real?

Although Lévi-Strauss posited that the "real," "symbolic," and "imaginary" are "three distinct orders," Maurice Godelier, in this work, skillfully demonstrates that the real cannot be separated from the symbolic and imaginary planes. Do not sacred rituals, objects, and spaces attest to the reality, and thus the truth, of the existence of God, gods, or spirits for a segment of humanity? The symbolic invades and mobilizes the entire body, gazes, gestures, as well as temples, palaces, tools, food, mountains, the sea, the sky, and the earth, transcending thought: The symbolic is real.

This work undoubtedly takes us to the heart of the social sciences. Because questioning the nature and role of the imaginary and the symbolic is also questioning the main components of social life and the fundamental aspects of human existence. How do people produce reality? Through what means does the imaginary acquire the status of reality? Is it possible to distinguish the real from the symbolic, or the imaginary from the symbolic? Are symbols more real than what they symbolize?

Maurice Godelier, one of the most prolific and renowned figures in recent French anthropology, seeks answers to such complex questions by continuing his inquiry not only within his own discipline of anthropology but also in fields such as philosophy and history.

Product Features

• Author: Maurice Godelier
• Translator: Umut Can Gökduman
• Publisher: Heretik Yayıncılık
• Publication Date: February 2024
• Page Count: 182
• Dimensions: 13.8 x 20.8 cm
• Cover Type: Paperback
• Language: Turkish