Ritual and BeliefRitual and Belief

Clifford Geertz on ReligionClifford Geertz on Religion

a religion is: "(1) a system of symbols which acts to (2) establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in people by (3) formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and (4) clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that (5) the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic." (Geertz:90)

What does religion do?

functional, psychological explanations

satisfy cognitive & affective/emotional demands for a stable, comprehensible, and coercible world for the individualprovides an orderly model of the universeexplains the unknownreduces anxiety and fearenabling the individual to maintain an inner security in the face of natural contingency

social, structural explanations

sets precedents for appropriate behaviorsanctions conducta form of social controljustifies perpetuates a social ordermaintains social solidarityeducates believers in social knowledgeprovides a sense of control and a source of solace – alleviation of grief

i.e. witchcraft accusations

accusations provide a socially proscribed way to deal with these problemsallows for public hearingentire complex of social relationships investigatedeffects for the community of witchcraft accusations– evil outsider community solidarity– evil insider necessary societal realignment

religion and worldview

sacred symbols function to synthesize a people's ethos– the distinguishing character, sentiment, moral

nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, institution

– a basic congruence between a particular style of life and a specific metaphysic/cosmology

encompassing pictures of reality based on a set of shared assumptions about how the world works

Religion and society

belief & ritual reinforce social ties between peoplereligion (ritual & spirituality) represents one form of collective consciousnessDurkheim: shared representations that form the basis for religion

Religion and social structureReligion and social structureGeertz: "the way in which the social structure of a group is strengthened & perpetuated through the ritualistic or mythic symbolization of the underlying social values upon which it rests."

Ritual (Practice) and Belief: GeertzRitual (Practice) and Belief: Geertz

belief & practice - "a group's ethos is rendered intellectually reasonable by being shown to represent a way of life ... rendered emotionally convincing by being presented as an image of the actual state of affairs...”

Ritual

ritual is a vital element in the processes that make and remake social facts and collective identities everywhere (Comaroff & Comaroff)

the symbolic behavior through which religion comes alive

ritual is repetitive, sequential, non-ordinary, and “powerful”

repetitive: innovation not tolerated

sequential: amen is at the end

non-ordinary: marked in time or space

“powerful”: power to change the world– by intervention of supernatural entities– transformation of the participant

Functions of ritual

Reinforce social bondsRelieve social tensionDeal with life crisesCelebrate life cycle eventsritual is also a way a society remembers – through habit– through bodily practices

Types of ritual

Rites of Passage

Van Gennep and Victor Turner

rites include three stages– Separation– marginality or liminality

Communitas and anti-structure– incorporation or re-aggregation

Other Types of RitualRites of intensification – cyclical rituals that reinforce the solidarity of the group

ritual inversionDivination rituals– predict future & gain hidden info

Technological rituals– designed to control nature for the purpose of human

exploitationProtective rites– aimed at coping with uncertainty of nature, seas, floods,

crop diseases

More TypesMore Types

therapy & anti-therapy rituals– designed to control human health; curative, witchcraft,

sorcery

ideological rituals– intended to control the behavior, mood, sentiments &

values of groups for the sake of community as a whole

salvation rituals– aimed at repairing self esteem & other forms of

impaired identity

Violence as ritual practice?Violence as ritual practice?Violence, its forms and controls, is fundamental to Violence, its forms and controls, is fundamental to human social existence and is central to theories human social existence and is central to theories regarding the nature of society. regarding the nature of society. Violence as cultural expression and/or performanceViolence as cultural expression and/or performance– ScriptedScriptedFrom anthropology of identity (pol. org.) to From anthropology of identity (pol. org.) to experience, emotive forces, bodily practicesexperience, emotive forces, bodily practicesA discursive practice with rituals and symbolsA discursive practice with rituals and symbolsViolence as cultural practiceViolence as cultural practice– Not just instrumentalNot just instrumentalA way of affirming and subverting “culture”A way of affirming and subverting “culture”

Modernization and ReligionModernization and Religionthe Secularization Thesisthe Secularization Thesis– Increased social differentiation, pluralism, Increased social differentiation, pluralism,

societalization, and rationalizationsocietalization, and rationalization– diminished social significance of religiondiminished social significance of religion– Religion relegated to an increasingly smaller part of Religion relegated to an increasingly smaller part of

people's private livespeople's private lives

significant “resurgence” of many religionssignificant “resurgence” of many religionsthe emergence of strong religious challenges to the emergence of strong religious challenges to the authority of nation-states (often in the guise the authority of nation-states (often in the guise of “fundamentalism”) of “fundamentalism”) the appearance of a few new theocratic statesthe appearance of a few new theocratic states

Modernization and ReligionModernization and Religion

not secularization, but not secularization, but pluralizationpluralizationpeople, more and more, have some kind people, more and more, have some kind of experience with of experience with religionsreligions – in the plural. – in the plural. Religion no longer just something one Religion no longer just something one receives as a matter of coursereceives as a matter of course– OptionsOptions– Becoming secular in some shape or form is Becoming secular in some shape or form is

one of these options -- not the only option.one of these options -- not the only option.

Religion and Politics/RuleReligion and Politics/Rule

political importance – i.e. "liberation political importance – i.e. "liberation theology," "fundamentalism," "solidarity," theology," "fundamentalism," "solidarity," and "moral majority" and "moral majority" different relations between religion and different relations between religion and politics, on the one hand, and religion and politics, on the one hand, and religion and the state, on the other. the state, on the other. – "cultural power" "cultural power"

THE CHURCH-STATETHE CHURCH-STATE