Overview

Ernesto de Martino's analyses of culture and religion strictly follow two main paths: (i) the adoption of a reformed historical idealism, particularly one centred on the history of the subaltern and folklore; and (ii) the elevation of ethnology from a naturalistic science to a historical science. While the first part of de Martino's programme will lead him to a dramatic – though (some argue) temporary – rupture with Croceanism and absolute historicism, the second will contribute to the rise of a reflective ethnology, and the critique towards rationalism. In this chapter, although the discussion will be mostly limited to the Italian history of religious tradition, I will discuss how de Martino's methodology and ethnographic research can positively inform the study of religion as an alternative and interdisciplinary academic arena.