This intellectual biography begins by locating Roger Bastide (1898-1974) in the general context of sociology as it developed in the generation following that of Emile Durkheim and shows how he helped broaden the original agenda by greater interest in historical factors and a closer attention to the work of ethnologists on so-called primitive societies. His interest in the arts, especially the literary ones, is carefully brought out.The major part of the study focuses on his years in Brazil and the classical work he did on Afro-Brazilian religions. His later years in Paris and his work with UNESCO show him focusing on problems of acculturation in the context of decolonialization and elaborating a subtle view of the relationship between religion and historical cultures.