James George Frazer: viktoriansk helt, 20.årh.s skurk, nutidig mediator

Resumé

DANSK RESUME: Efter en kort præsentation af Frazers liv, karriere og indholdet i hans hovedværk, The Golden Bough, diskuteres dels Frazers treleddede evolutionsskema (magi-religion-videnskab), dels anvendeligheden af værkets akkumulerede mytologiskfolkloristiske materiale. Frazers komparative tilgang kontrasteres med Claude Lévi-Strauss’ i dennes Mythologiques, hvori der kan antages at spores en frazersk inspiration. Frazers evolutionsskema kontrasteres med Robert Bellahs skemas to første faser, tribal og arkaisk religion.

ENGLISH SUMMARY: Following a brief presentation of Frazer's life and career and the content of his main work, The Golden Bough, the article discusses Frazer’s evolutionary schema (magic-religion-science) and the usefulness of the accumulated mythological folkloristic material of the work. Frazer's comparative approach is contrasted with Claude Lévi-Strauss' comparative work Mythologiques and a possible frazerian inspiration. Finally, the article compares Frazer's evolutionary scheme with Robert Bellah's two first stages of religious evolution, tribal and archaic religion.