Classical Studies 2200 Chapter Notes -Liminality, Sakoku, Gennep
Document Summary
Exegetic the way an insider explains the ritual to someone outside the society. Operational the way an anthropologist, who is outside the society, records what is done in the ritual, and how the participants behave and appear to feel. Liminality allows those taking part in the ritual to see and understand their society in a new way comes from on the edge of the bush: anthropology as. He calls this feeling communitas, from the latin word for community. The shared suffering and indignities inflicted during the ritual make those who go through it feel connected during and after the experience, regardless of differences in their rank, age, kinship position, and sometimes even sex. Depending on the society, they can include priests, clowns, court jesters, and other creatures who are tolerated despite, or perhaps because of, their ongoing challenge to the hierarchical structures and values representing the essence of society.