ANT E105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Primary Stages, James George Frazer, Marvin Harris
Document Summary
Religion: a set of beliefs based on a unique vision of how the world ought to be, often revealed through insights into a supernatural power and lived out in community. Martyr: a person who sacrifices his/her life for the sake of religion. Saint: an individual who is considered exceptionally close to god and is exalted after death. Profane: anything that is not considered holy. Ritual: an act or series of acts regularly repeated over years and generations that embody the beliefs of a group of people and create a sense of continuity and belonging. Rites of passage: a category of ritual that enacts a change of status from one life stage to another, either for an individual or for a group. Liminality: a ritual participant experiences a period of outsiderhood, set apart from normal society, that is key to achieving a new perspective on the past, future, and current community.
