We demonstrate that the exchange of two identical particles can be effected
by a rotation of a coordinate system defined by the two particles through
an angle pi. It is then a consequence of the intimate connection between th
e generator of a space rotation and the total angular momentum operator, th
at the effect of the particle exchange on the ket corresponding to the phys
ical system is dependent upon the integer or half-integer character of the
particle spins. From this it can be concluded that the connection between s
pin and statistics that derives from the symmetry of the identical particle
system under particle exchange is explained (in the most fundamental way)
by the equivalence between the exchange of two identical particles and a ro
tation in configuration space.