Around the time of van Gennep (c. 1900), Emile Durkheim, the famous French sociologist, approached ritual as an aspect of his larger focus on religion as an aspect of societal structure.
From his standpoint, the religion served to maintain the stability of society. Religion did not exist for its own sake, or for abstract spiritual reasons, but rather because of societal need.
So in this context he also interpreted symbol and ritual as manifestations of society. Ritual was to be analyzed in relation to the imperatives of the community at large rather than individual need.