ANTH 195 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Liminality, Arnold Van Gennep, Endogamy
Document Summary
Religion: creates social solidarity and shared identity, provides meaning and guidance for how to live, explains universal mysteries, form of social control. Is a means to cope with uncertainty and anxiety. Rites of passage (arnold van gennep): rituals that mark a person"s passage from one identity (status, grade, etc. ) to another, correlated with age, ex. Incorporation: ritual separates person from existing identity. person enters transition phase. new identity for the person. Intense community spirit and feeling of social solidarity, equality, togetherness, common identity. Age set: specialized hierarchy based on age or life stage, maasai (kenya): Youth, to warrior (moran), to husband, to elder. Each stage marked with a rite of passage: group of people who move through culturally- recognized life stages together, ex. Age set = people constituting the group that will graduate in. Age grades = freshman, sophomore, junior and seniors. Common in complex, state societies: differentiation by social constructs like:
