RLGA01H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Sacristy, Edward Burnett Tylor, Emic And Etic
Lec 3:
Anthropology
- 19th centuary - Tylor & Muller
- 20th – Geertz
- tylor:
o religious Christian
o intellectualist
o armchair scholars – theories based on reading materials
o religion – belief, state of mind, spirits
o fraser inspired by tylor
- Muller
o Arm chair scholar (books)– linguist
o Disease of language
▪ Something has happened because of language
▪ forces of nature have become anthromorphized – beings with
personalities and characteristics
▪ ex: thunder & lighting think gods are angry
▪ people think if they find primitive people today then they
would be like they were back then because there is no
development in their culture – stagnant in evolution of
civilization
▪ problem – saying that current tribal groups are the same as
ancient primitive people. How do we know that; tribal groups
are they isolated? If anthropologist goes in it ruins the sacristy
• becomes historically effected
• cargo cults – as anthropologists do field work they
expose the outer world by bringing in their cargo. Ex:
Melanesia – people kept coming to observe by plane,
later to believe that the planes were coming for them or
going to bring something to them
o sacred books of the east – focus on Hindu traditions
▪ religion is all about books / scriptures, if doesn’t have then not
a religion
▪ oral is more important; traditions rely on written for authority
- Geertz 20th centaury
o Systems of symbols
o Religion – cultural system
▪ Problematic – can still find some core essentials of a religion by
analyzing it as a cultural system, however there is no singular
system ; religions are interpenetrating systems
• What are religions not religion, religions are intermixed
systems
o Metaphor: Religions are cultural linguistic systems
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Pg 31 coumn 1 para 2 famous definition things that mobilize us, make us behave in certain ways, constitute our experiences - make us do things: ex: exclusive particular language, dialects written / oral, Constituting activity in the world symbol build our world, dynamic. Pg 26: causes still apply believed inferior religion is based on books another piece of tradition. Early anthros - philosophy, theology background to help them to interpret: focused on textual information, not heart of people practicing other traditions. Newer field work because no prior knowledge. Pg 37: tradition and dynamics of culture: limited restrictive form of thinking, not western logic, different but not superior, recursivity. Anthropologist need to participate in order to get a first hand look at the culture access. Racial blending and mixing bad (19th centaury) purity being compromised. Secularization only in present there is talk about decline in religion, lots of.
