Abstract:

Among the reviews on Dumézil's theory on the political genesis, little attention has been paid to his later transition from discussing the tripartite division of social functions to binary alliance. To comprehend the theoretical implication of this transition, this paper relies mostly on the analyses of his later works, especially the book From Myth to Fiction:The Saga of Hadingus. Under the influence of both Marcel Mauss' and Marcel Granet's theories and approaches, Dumézil sought out the sociological theories and political principles formulated by the hierarchical solidarity and sovereignty embedded in the Indo-European myths. To illustrate how the Indo-European civilization builds up its ideal society, Dumézil first proposes that the tripartite division of social functions is the core of the hierarchical solidarity in the Indo-European civilization. Later, through further comparisons of different myths in the Indo-European world, he comes to the realization that the hierarchical solidarity is generated by binary alliance while the tripartite division of social functions is nothing more than an outcome of binary alliance. By introducing the concept of ‘alliance’ into the analysis on the structure and logic of the mechanism of the state, Dumezil finally arrives at a framework for modern social sciences to comparatively analyze three major social types:tribal societies, classical civilizations as well as modern polities. In this sense, Dumézil's theory on political genesis goes beyond the classical studies' narrow presupposition of polities and divine kinship in the Indo-European civilization. Its application also expands beyond the traditional anthropological analyses on the alliance and chiefdom in "primitive" societies. Thus, Dumézil's theories and approaches can provide a stimulating perspective for the Chinese studies of humanities and social sciences..

Key words: tripartite division of social functions, political genesis, binary alliance, George Dumézil, hierarchical solidarity