According to Turner (1970:19), ritual can be defined as "formal behaviour for occasions not given over to technological routine, having reference to beliefs in mystical beings of powers. The symbol is the smallest unit of ritual". Even if one does not – as Humphrey and Laidlaw (1994) – accept Turner’s definition of ritual focused on a religious context, we might still agree that rituals are build up of symbols. Symbols in this moment are ambiguous, supposedly meaningful ‘metaphors’ that – so the debatable thesis of for instance Geertz (1993, 2004) and Bloch – need to be interpreted. In this essay, I want to follow three strands in the underlying debate. First of all, scholars such as Geertz and Bloch have taken over the notion of meaning as device in order to understand rituals – but added contextual dimensions to its sphere. Others have secondly dismissed the notion of ‘ritual as a text’ in favour of ‘ritual as performance’ (Lewis), whereas a third school of thought warns of the danger of the concept of meaning and symbolism per se (Humphrey and Laidlaw). If we accept the claim that rituals are made up of symbols, an approach that searches for the meaning of those symbols might be helpful – if the meaning is not imposed by the analyst. Rituals that are intended as a performative act, do not ask for a textual analysis, however. They are better understood with categories such as effect and emotion. If we add those dimensions to our repertoire of meaning, many rituals or ritual facettes can be made ‘comprehensible’.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Is ‘meaning’ a useful analytical category for understanding the symbolism of rituals?
- The Meaning of Rituals
- Geertz’s View on Rituals
- The Role of Context
- Beyond Lexical Meaning
- The Performative Nature of Rituals
- Meaning and the Observer
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This essay examines the usefulness of the concept of “meaning” in analyzing the symbolism of rituals. It explores different perspectives on the role of meaning in rituals, including those of Geertz, Bloch, and Lewis. The essay also discusses the importance of context and the observer's perspective in understanding ritual symbolism.
- The concept of "meaning" in ritual analysis
- Different perspectives on the role of meaning in rituals
- The significance of context in understanding ritual symbolism
- The impact of the observer's perspective on ritual interpretation
- The limitations of the concept of meaning in explaining some rituals
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The essay begins by introducing the concept of ritual and its symbolic nature. It then examines Geertz's view of rituals as "symbolic fusion of ethos and world view," arguing that rituals can be interpreted as texts to understand their meaning. The essay further discusses the importance of context in understanding ritual symbolism, emphasizing that rituals are embedded in social-structural processes. This section introduces the concept of "illocutionary meaning," suggesting that symbols and actions in rituals can influence people beyond their lexical meaning.
The essay then explores Lewis's perspective on rituals as performative acts rather than communicative texts. This perspective emphasizes the expressive and affective aspects of rituals, suggesting that their meaning lies in their ability to produce an effect on participants. The essay concludes by considering the role of the observer in assigning meaning to rituals. It highlights the potential for misinterpretation and argues that the search for meaning in rituals should be informed by the actors' own perspectives.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The essay focuses on key concepts like ritual, symbolism, meaning, context, performance, and the observer's perspective. These concepts are explored through the lens of different anthropological perspectives, such as those of Geertz, Bloch, and Lewis. The essay further examines the potential limitations of the concept of meaning in understanding the full complexity of rituals.
- Citation du texte
- Johannes Lenhard (Auteur), 2013, Is „meaning“ a useful analytical category for understanding the symbolism of rituals?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/209432
